You can never say never in the NFL, but Darius Slay does not sound like a player who is going to suit up for the Buffalo Bills.
Slay, 34, was claimed off waivers by Buffalo on Wednesday following his release from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo likely wanted to improve their depth behind Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White and Max Hairston, but Slay chose not to report to the team.
His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Slay needed a few days to decide whether or not he wanted to continue playing in the league.
It sounds like his decision may be made.
Slay joined Emmanuel Acho on “The Speakeasy,” Acho’s YouTube sports talk show, to discuss his decision not to report to Buffalo. According to Slay, Buffalo caught him at the wrong time.
“I don’t feel like packing up and moving again,” Slay told Acho. “I’m 13 years in, like, I done did it. Like, they would have caught me at like 28, 29, I might have been like ‘OK.’ That’s a top organization. They have a lot of great things going. They win, they go to the playoffs, they got a franchise quarterback. So, it wasn’t a bad fit, it just caught me at a bad time.”
Of course, Slay also had to mention Buffalo’s weather as a reason he doesn’t want to play in Buffalo.
“I talked to them,” Slay added. “It was a neutral talk. I just said, “Hey, man. I’m 34. I know ya’ll be watching tape, but I’m trying to relax with my family and kid. I ain’t feel like packing up, moving.’ And then, on top of that – no offense to Buffalo — it’s cold as hell in Buffalo. I’m from the south.”
Slay is originally from Georgia, but the cornerback must have forgotten that he has played in Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in his career. Detroit plays in a dome, but he found a way to survive living in the three cold-weather cities just fine for 13 seasons.
Acho, to his credit, asked Slay if he would have reported to Detroit or Philadelphia had they claimed him.
“I don’t know,” Slay said on Philadelphia. “It would have been a hard time to think about it. But Philly is my second home. I don’t know how that would have hit, if it would have hit.”
As for Detroit, Slay stated, “That’s a good question right there. I don’t know.”
