Six-time Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay retires from NFL after 13-year career

Six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay is retiring from the NFL after a 13-year career, he announced Monday.

"Football was my peace, my joy, my everything," Slay wrote on a post on Instagram. "This game put me in a position to help take care of my family and loved ones and I'm forever grateful. It's hard to say goodbye, but God has a new chapter for me and I'm ready to turn the page and start my new journey."

Slay's decision to walk away from the game comes after he refused to report to the Buffalo Bills in December after being picked up on waivers.

Slay, 35, recently re-posted a clip on social media of him saying, "No team but the Eagles can call me." Philadelphia, for whom he played from 2020-24, put in a waiver claim for Slay last December but lost out to Buffalo.

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A second-round pick of the Detroit Lions out of Mississippi State in 2013, Slay had little trouble carrying over his "Big Play" nickname from college to the pros.

In 2017, he led the NFL with eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed. His output that year would earn him the first of six Pro Bowl nods in a seven-year span.

Slay ranks third among active players with 28 career interceptions, trailing only longtime Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith and New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard.

In 2020, Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He became a staple of the secondary and helped the franchise win its second Super Bowl title in 2024.

Slay signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason but was waived in December.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darius Slay retires from NFL after 13 seasons in league