Coming off a Super Bowl victory, the Philadelphia Eagles faced a number of difficult roster decisions during the 2025 offseason. Chief among them was what to do with cornerback Darius Slay, who was a critical piece of the secondary since his acquisition via trade from the Detroit Lions in 2020. Given the encouraging rookie seasons from 2024 draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the writing was on the wall for Slay entering his age-34 season. The Eagles made the decision to release Slay, ending a star-studded tenure in Philadelphia.
Slay’s departure provides an opportune moment to look back at the original trade with the Lions to determine who got the better end of the deal: Philadelphia or Detroit? Let’s take a closer look.
Original terms of the 2020 Darius Slay trade
Eagles receive: CB Darius SlayLions receive: 2020 third-round pick (85), 2020 fifth-round pick (166)
How was Darius Slay’s performance for the Eagles?
Darius Slay immediately became an important starter and stabilizing force in the Eagles secondary, starting 14 games in 2020. His value would only increase from there, as Slay was named to three straight Pro Bowls from 2021-2023. Slay received a two-year contract extension in 2023, keeping him with the Eagles through the 2025 season. While his play dipped a little in 2024, Slay was still a major piece on a Super Bowl-winning defense. He was released for salary cap reasons heading into 2025, and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Overall, Slay was a slam-dunk acquisition for Philadelphia. He started 73 games over five seasons, received three Pro Bowl selections, and helped the Eagles achieve two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory, six total postseason wins, and four straight playoff trips from 2021-2024. While he did have injury issues throughout his tenure that caused him to miss time in all but one of his seasons in Philadelphia, he was an integral player who helped lead the Eagles through a tumultuous 2020 and into a period of sustained postseason success.
Who did the Lions select with the picks from the Darius Slay trade?
The Lions received a 2020 third-round pick (85) and a 2020 fifth-round pick (166) from the Eagles in exchange for Darius Slay. Detroit would then go on to trade pick 85 as a part of a trade-up package with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2020 NFL Draft. The Lions sent 85, 149 (fifth), and 182 (sixth) to Indianapolis, getting back 75 and 197 (sixth) in return. Detroit selected guard Jonah Jackson with pick 75 and defensive tackle John Penisini with pick 197. The Lions also selected wide receiver Quintez Cephus with pick 166.
Who won the Darius Slay trade between the Eagles and the Lions?
Obviously, the Eagles are extremely happy with how this deal turned out for them. Slay was a steal at the price of just a third and a fifth, maintaining his high level of play well into his early 30s and contributing to two Super Bowl trips (and one big win) for the Eagles over the past five seasons. While Philadelphia did have to give Slay a new contract, that also wound up being a relative bargain. Slay made a total of $66.2 million over five years in Philadelphia, working out to $13.2 million per year. In today’s NFL, that would work out to roughly the 22nd-highest paid cornerback in the league, slotting in just behind Kyler Gordon. In 2020, that would’ve ranked 13th, coming in just ahead of Stephon Gilmore.
The Lions wound up taking the picks from the Slay trade and turning them into Jonah Jackson, Quintez Cephus, and John Penisini. Jonah Jackson is the big hit on the list, starting 61 games for Detroit from 2020-2023 and making the Pro Bowl in 2021. While Jackson was a very good starter, injury issues began to appear over his final two seasons with the Lions. He was allowed to walk in free agency, where he signed with the Rams in 2024–and was subsequently placed on IR just four games into the season.
Quintez Cephus was a depth receiver who did manage some solid contributions for Detroit from 2020-2021, piling up 553 yards and four touchdowns in 18 games played. He was placed on IR four games into the 2022 season and later released by Detroit. John Penisini was a rotational defensive lineman for the Lions and actually played a significant role in 2020, appearing in all 16 games and starting 12 with some pretty intriguing flashes (1.0 sack, 4 TFL). He would be pushed down the depth chart in 2021 and never regained his starting job, eventually making his way to the Panthers in 2023.
While I think the Lions are largely satisfied with the return from this trade, the Eagles do come out ahead. Slay’s contributions to two Super Bowl teams along with an impressive run of four-straight Pro Bowl appearances outweigh what the Lions got from Jonah Jackson and a pair of rotational/depth players. Nobody “lost” this trade, but Philadelphia is the winner.
WINNER: Eagles
