Eagles All-Pro defender expected to retire

One of the Philadelphia Eagles’ core defensive players could be headed for retirement.

There is a belief around the NFL that veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox will retire this offseason, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Cox signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Eagles last offseason, so he is set to become a free agent. Even if he does not retire, Philadelphia may want to spend money elsewhere after they fell apart down the stretch and were dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opening round of the playoffs.

The 33-year-old Cox has been with the Eagles since they drafted him in the first round back in 2012. He has missed only a handful of games in his 12-year career and made the Pro Bowl every season from 2015-2020. Cox was a first-team All-Pro in 2018.

Though he is not quite the force he was during his prime, Cox still had five sacks and a forced fumble in 15 games last season. He had seven sacks and played in all 17 games in 2022.

The Eagles moved on from another former All-Pro on defense this week, so it seems like they are going to have a much different look on that side of the ball next season.