Eagles’ Fletcher Cox, who spent his entire NFL career in Philly, announces retirement after 12 seasons

The Philadelphia Eagles fans still haven’t recovered from the retirement of legendary offensive lineman Jason Kelce. And now, another Philly legend has decided to hang up his boots following the team’s poor 2023 campaign. This time, their defensive lineman Fletcher Cox has announced his retirement from the sport following a 12-year-long career.

The 6-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle took to social media to announce his retirement from the league. He posted a lengthy message on his social media profiles and thanked Philadelphia for a memorable 12 years.

There are too many people to name everyone, but you have all made a tremendous impact on my life and my career. I've learned so much from each and every one of you, and you have no idea how much I appreciate the many ways you helped me grow not just as a player, but as a young man into the man I am today.

Fletcher Cox said in a statement

In the lengthy statement, Cox thanked the Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman, and several of his head coaches, including, Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni. He also thanked the supporting staff of the Philadelphia-based football team.

Cox was drafted by the Eagles in the first round (12th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has been playing lights out for the Eagles for the last 12 years. During his time in Philly, Cox registered 70 sacks in 188 games. His best season came back in 2018 when he registered 10.5 sacks. In 12 years, he received 6 Pro Bowl nods and was named to the first-team All-Pro squad one time.

Back in January, following the Eagles’ playoff loss, Cox claimed that he hadn’t made a decision about retiring. And now, after thinking about it, the 33-year-old defensive lineman has decided to call it quits.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie releases a statement about Fletcher Cox’s retirement

Fletcher Cox’s sudden retirement has saddened a lot of Eagles fans. Amidst this, the team owner Jeffrey Lurie released a lengthy statement paying tribute to the Philly legend.

What made Fletcher truly special is that his influence extends even further behind the scenes. The six-time team captain was a key figure in establishing a championship culture in our building. As nasty as he was on the field, he was a master of his craft while also serving as a big brother and mentor to so many young players over the years.

Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement

Nonetheless, it’s been a rough few weeks for the Eagles fans. After suffering an early playoff exit, two of their legends have announced retirement. On the business side of things, the Eagles have a lot of needs to address in the coming off-season.

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