Darius Slay: Pro Bowl's move from Hawaii makes game 'pointless'

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Darius Slay wanted to go to the Pro Bowl last year. The Detroit Lions cornerback felt he had played well enough to be invited and was pretty jazzed about it.

Then, he was snubbed.

This time around, with the Pro Bowl announcement coming up in less than a week, Slay isn't as worried about it. He doesn't think it's a big deal at all.

"As long as my teammates really see me as a Pro Bowl player, I ain't really worried because I feel it's a politic thing anyway," Slay said. "But I would just like to. But, I'm mad. Is the Pro Bowl even in Hawaii no more? It's really pointless. That's what I really wanted to do.

"That's why I wanted to go. I'd rather just get the All-Pro status and don't go Pro Bowl. Because I just really wanted to go to Hawaii, really wanted to just to go to Hawaii for the free."

The Pro Bowl will be played in Orlando, Florida, starting in 2017.

The 25-year-old Slay is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and is Detroit's top corner. He has 35 tackles this season, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. He said Wednesday if he had a couple of more interceptions, it's likely a conversation about whether or not he would make the Pro Bowl wouldn't be happening.

He signed a four-year $50.2 million extension just before training camp this year. As part of the deal, he has escalators in his contract for Pro Bowl selections, although that does not start until the 2017 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

As of the last release of fan balloting for the Pro Bowl, Slay was not among the top five players at his position. In fact, no Lions players were in the top five despite leading the NFC North.