Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay has revealed he came close to joining the Baltimore Ravens before re-signing with the NFC champions last month.

The five-time Pro Bowler – a key member of the Eagles team that lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII – looked set to leave Philadelphia when he was given permission to discuss a trade.

Slay even appeared to bid farewell to the team's supporters on Twitter, but a remarkable U-turn saw the Eagles agree a two-year contract extension worth $42million with the 32-year-old.

That represented a major coup for Philadelphia as they bid to build on their 14-3 2022 season, but Slay has revealed a move to Baltimore was on the cards before his reversal. 

"I was almost a Baltimore Raven. This close," Slay told reporters, holding up two fingers. 

"But I wanted to be an Eagle. I stayed an Eagle because I know we were going to figure something out.

"The Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called. They offered just what I wanted. I said, 'If the Eagles do that, I'm going to stay an Eagle.' It was nice. I was almost a Raven." 

Slay made 40 tackles and three interceptions across the regular season last term, while his 14 passes defensed saw him tie for 12th in the NFL.