Darius Slay found himself sidelined as a healthy scratch during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ clash against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Now, the seasoned cornerback is entering free agency.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the decision for Slay to leave was mutual. The Daily Mail is seeking confirmation from Slay’s representative and Steelers officials.

This development comes as the Steelers elevated cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad to their active roster. Samuel, the 26-year-old son of the former New England Patriots standout, joined the team in November after battling a shoulder injury and spinal surgery from 2024.

At 36, Slay helped the Philadelphia Eagles secure a Super Bowl victory last season. He joined Pittsburgh on a one-year, $10 million contract this summer with hopes of bolstering their secondary.

In a related move, the Steelers have acquired veteran receiver Adam Thielen off waivers. Previously released by Minnesota, Thielen aims to find a meaningful role with a new team as he approaches what may be his final season.

The transactions come in response to an epic second-half collapse against the Bills, which ended with fans calling for head coach Mike Tomlin’s job. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers expressed frustration with his receivers and admitted he and tight end Jonnu Smith were not on the same page in the 26-7 defeat. 

Darius Slay was a healthy scratch for the Pittsburgh Steelers for Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills and now the veteran cornerback and the team have mutually agreed to part ways

Thielen left the Vikings after a total of 10 seasons across two different stints in Minnesota

Former Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has taken Darius Slay’s job in Pittsburgh

Rodgers also called out himself for an errant pass during the game, admitting: ‘I got to make that throw.’

But Rodgers wasn’t quite finished. Without saying who has missed film sessions, he again encouraged everyone to attend.

‘We have our meetings every week,’ Rodgers said. ‘We have other opportunities outside of the facility, and look forward to seeing all the boys there.’

On Sunday, Rodgers’ frustrations were obvious after completing just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards as Pittsburgh blew a 7-3 halftime lead.

And the bloody nose he suffered on a Joey Bosa sack certainly didn’t help matters.

With Pittsburgh opening the second half from their own 26-yard line, Rodgers dropped back to pass but was unaware of Bills edge rusher crashing the pocket from the blind side. Bosa then launched himself onto Rodgers’ shoulders, dropping the 41-year-old passer and sending his face into the turf as the ball became dislodged.

Buffalo’s Christian Benford was perfectly positioned to recover the fumble and waltzed in for an easy touchdown. The ensuing PAT gave the Bills a 10-7 lead, but the bigger concern was Rodgers, who was briefly sidelined as trainers tended to the cut across the bridge of his nose.

The turnover helped Buffalo run the table in the second half.

Aaron Rodgers ‘s displeasure with his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates was as clear as the gash across his nose after Sunday’s demoralizing loss to the visiting Buffalo Bills

Just the team’s third head coach since 1969, Tomlin is firmly on the hot seat in Pittsburgh

After entering halftime trailing 7-3, the Bills scored 23 unanswered points due in no small part to Bosa’s sack.

With Rodgers on the sideline, backup Mason Rudolph stepped in only to be picked off by Benford, celebrated to turnovers in a little over a minute of play.

Allen responded with an eight-play, 56-yard drive culminating with a one-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman for a 16-7 lead.

Allen later added an eight-yard touchdown run of his own.

The Steelers are now just 6-6, and although they still have a share of first place in the lowly AFC North, fans still called for head coach Mike Tomlin to be fired on Sunday .

And Tomlin didn’t blame them, either.

‘I share their frustration tonight,’ Tomlin told reporters when asked about the chants after the loss. ‘We didn’t do enough. That’s just the reality of it.’

According to a long-time Steelers fan known on X as ‘@PghJarron,’ this is new territory for Tomlin.

‘I may be mistaken, but this appears to be the first time I’ve ever heard ‘Fire Tomlin’ chants,’ he wrote on X.

Teammates quickly rushed over to check on Pittsburgh’s 41-year-old quarterback 

Just the team’s third head coach since 1969, Tomlin is now seen by many as a symbol of owner Art Rooney’s refusal to change. Pittsburgh has not gone beyond the opening round of the NFL playoffs since 2017 and Tomlin’s Super Bowl victory is now a distant memory some 17 seasons later.

Rodgers defended Tomlin after the loss, saying: ‘I believe in the coaching staff and I believe in Mike Tomlin.’

He also admitted he needs to ‘play better.’

The Steelers initially looked vastly improved this season with the newly acquired Rodgers under center, getting off to a 4-1 start.

Since then, Pittsburgh has lost five of seven games, culminating with Sunday’s second-half collapse.