All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox has decided to retire after 12 NFL season, instead of playing for another team to finish his career.
The 33-year-old former first-round pick of the Eagles has played in 188 games since Philadelphia selected him out of Mississippi State in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. It had been clear that the Eagles were likely to move on from Cox this offseason. Philadelphia used consecutive first-round picks on defensive tackles in 2022 and 2023, bringing in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis to help replace Cox.
Cox had hinted that he may continue to play elsewhere, and told Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward that he’d love to play beside him during a guest appearance on Heyward’s Not Just Football Podcast during the Super Bowl week.
“You. That’s all love,” Cox said when asked who he’d like to play with. “Just respect that you got for the game, respect that I have for the game. The way that you play the game, the way that I play the game, like we definitely could. That would’ve been nice. We could make some things happen.”
But instead, Cox decided to hang up his cleats and No. 91 jersey in Philly.
“I fulfilled a lifelong dream by making it to the NFL, but what I didn’t know at the time was how much of an honor and aprevlege it would be to represent the city of Philadelphia and the Eagles organization for the next 12 seasons,” Cox wrote in a social media post announcing his retirement.
According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, Pittsburgh approached the Eagles about acquiring All-Pro defensive tackle in 2021. And while the deal reportedly would have worked out financially for Pittsburgh, La Canfora says the team was unwilling to part with the draft capital Philadelphia sought.
The Steelers will likely be in the market for a defensive tackle this offseason, as Montravius Adams and Armon Watts are both set to hit free agency.
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