Rumored to be on the Eagles’ radar despite his release, Fletcher Cox may have a new contract with the team soon. The Eagles are working on a one-year deal with the perennial Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The six-time Pro Bowler has been the centerpiece of the Eagles’ defense for most of his career, missing just four games over the past nine seasons. The Eagles designated Cox as a post-June 1 cut, moving a small chunk of cash off their books from the elite defensive tackle’s oft-restructured contract.
Cox returning to Philly for an 11th season remains the expectation, Garafolo adds. It will be interesting to see what Cox commands on a one-year deal. He signed a six-year, $102.6MM extension in 2016. The Eagles restructured it three times from 2018-21, inflating the deal’s cap numbers to the point the team cut bait.
Cox, 31, drew trade interest in recent years as well. The Steelers discussed the All-Pro D-tackle with the Eagles during the 2021 season. But the dominant inside defender remained in Philly, helping the Eagles rebound after a significant step back in 2020. Cox recorded 3.5 sacks, 12 QB hits and seven tackles for loss last season, adding two forced fumbles.
The Eagles saw Javon Hargrave play well last season, and they used a third-round pick on Milton Williams last year. But Cox coming back will surely help a team that can bolster its lineup with three first-round selections next month.
They could win the NFC East this season
Coming from a Cowboy fan, Cox should return on a new deal. He simply has been a face of the Eagle defense for more than a decade. Its fitting he takes what could be his final contract there.
Cox will provide the Eagles with some depth, but he is no longer in his prime. He took a lot of plays off last season, even when he stopped being double-teamed. With more limited snaps maybe he will put forth his best effort when he is on the field this season. I just hope that he doesn’t have a bad attitude with taking less money, but I think he had a chance to see that no other team was willing to pick up his high priced contract with his low output last season.