The Chicago Bears have stayed focused on their own business, but it's hard to ignore what has been happening around the rest of the division lately. Brian Bulaga left Green Bay. Minnesota traded Stefon Diggs and gutted a huge part of their secondary. However, the team that has undergone the wildest changes is the Detroit Lions. None more so than their trading of cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's been reported for some time that the Pro Bowler and management couldn't reach common ground on a new contract. So expectations rose over the past couple of months that he was getting traded. The Eagles finally made the offer of 3rd and 5th round draft picks that closed the deal. Most thought that might be the end of it. They were wrong. Money was not the only reason he was leaving. There was a specific one.
Slay made sure to let people know who that was during an exit radio interview.
"Of course I wanted to stay (in Detroit) for a minute, but I already knew how me and Matt Patricia is, that wasn't going to last long," Slay said.
Slay said the two disagreed on many things, and when pressed for an example, Slay said the coach insulted him regarding offseason workouts with 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.
"He told me I had no business working out with Richard Sherman and (Aqib) Talib because I wasn't elite," Slay said. "Those were the guys that were elite category and I was just good.
"That's the whole point, I didn't get the thought, sitting here telling me not to go work with somebody, I'm not elite," Slay continued. "If I ain't elite in your eyes, at least I'm trying to go compete with guys and work with guys, pick their brains and become elite."
Slay was asked if he thought the writing was on the wall when the team traded Quandre Diggs, but Slay said things were in bad shape way before that.
"At that time, I didn't care really," Slay said. "Shoot, I didn't have that much for respect for Matty P, as a person. It was hard for me to play for him. That's all that was."
Darius Slay may have escaped a sinking ship
There is genuine confusion from experts about what Detroit is trying to accomplish this offseason. They appear to have unloaded a number of quality players since the second half of last season. It started with safety Quandre Diggs who was traded. Stout defensive tackles Damon Harrison and A'Shawn Robinson are gone. Devon Kennard, who had seven sacks was released. Now Slay is out too.
A defense that already was a bit on the iffy side appears completely gutted. Combine that with the uncertain status of Matthew Stafford after his back injury last year? This does not look like a team that is ready to get into the playoff hunt. Something ownership made expressly clear was a must for people to keep their jobs moving forward.
For all the headaches Bears fans have about their own team, it's hard to imagine what Detroit must feel like.
