Eagles’ Darius Slay is frankly surprised by the reaction to his podcast hit with Dallas’ Micah Parsons

When the Everyone Has a Podcast Era coincides with the era of having instant access to one another on social media — and then you sprinkle in an NFL bye week — the saga of Darius Slay, Micah Parsons, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson lasts longer than anyone probably asked for it to.

But there was Slay on Thursday at the NovaCare Complex, the sun shining through the locker room’s skylight onto his face as he stood in front of his locker. His usual smile sparkled a little brighter as he fended off lingering questions about what happened in the days following the blowout Eagles loss at Tampa Bay that preceded the week off.

For his part, Slay had already addressed the topic on his Big Play Slay podcast, but Thursday was the first time since the loss that reporters had access to follow up.

For the uninitiated, Slay appeared on Parsons’ podcast and shared a laugh with the Dallas Cowboys’ edge rusher, who had a social media spat with Gardner-Johnson after the safety’s comments about Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints were made public. Gardner-Johnson got beaten for a touchdown in the loss to the Buccaneers, and Parsons brought it up on the podcast with Slay. The two players laughed, and a minor social media drama unfolded. It came after Slay had already annoyed fans with his post on X defending his career accolades in the wake of the Eagles’ pass defense being overwhelmed during the Week 4 loss.

There were a few layers to it. First, some questioned whether it would lead to a beef between the two in the Eagles’ secondary. Slay said he and Gardner-Johnson are in a group chat and reacted in real time as the clip got out.

“People were blowing it out of proportion,” Slay said. “He was good about it; I was great about it.” On Wednesday, Gardner-Johnson told WIP-FM (94.1) that Slay “is a great teammate. ... We listen to him. We follow him.”

Said Slay: “These guys didn’t vote me for captain for no reason. They know I’m not that type of guy. I’m a very happy-go-lucky guy, [an] energy guy, a guy that roots for everybody in this building.”

Then there was the element of Parsons playing on a rival team. Can you imagine if Randall Cunningham and Troy Aikman did a podcast episode in 1990? The horror. Slay said he understands the rivalry but was a little surprised by the reaction.

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Slay, 33, has eight years on Parsons, but the two have been friends and workout partners for nearly five years. Their friendship isn’t the only one in the rivalry. Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb played at Oklahoma together. Slay and Dak Prescott had some overlap at Mississippi State. DeVonta Smith and Trevon Diggs played together at Alabama.

“We were friends like that way before football, and we’re trying to be friends way after football,” Slay said of Parsons. “Yeah, that’s what we do for each other. Help each other out.

“There’s nothing that’s going to make me second-guess that because it’s way bigger than football for me. I like relationships. I like having relationships.

“I got friends outside of football. It is what that is.”

But would he have second thoughts about making an appearance with Parsons during the first full week of November, ahead of the Eagles’ Week 10 game at Dallas?

“That’s going to make it even spicier because I’m going to talk my trash to him,” Slay said. “I’m going to let him know, like, ‘Hey, I know we got y’all this week. We’re going to whoop y’all [butt].’

“I know he’ll expect to win, and I expect to win.”

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During the bye week, Slay spent some time with family, which included seeing his sons play football and celebrating one of their birthdays. But it’s been back to business this week as the Eagles prepare to host a 1-4 Cleveland Browns team that is as desperate for a win as they are.

The Eagles haven’t played at Lincoln Financial Field since a Sept. 16 loss to Atlanta during Week 2. Slay wants to make up for it on Sunday.

“We disappointed the fans with our first home game,” Slay said. “We have to go out there and execute and give the fans a win.”

After all, wins tend to supersede all social media dramas. Losses only blow them out of proportion.

The Eagles play in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.