Philadelphia Eagles make surprising move with defensive leader Fletcher Cox

On Thursday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles officially released veteran defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The main reason for the release was at 4 PM on March 17, the $18 million in Cox’s contract would have been fully guaranteed. The former Mississippi State star is now officially a free agent, but the Eagles and Cox continue to discuss a possible return, per Garafolo.

He’s made six Pro Bowls during his highly decorated career and he has spent his entire 10-year career in Philadelphia. But, according to a recent report by Jordan Schultz, league sources say that the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the LA Chargers are all interested in Cox’s services. The Arizona Cardinals are not interested due to lack of money, according to the report.

If the Eagles were to trade Cox, it would have meant a $40 million dead cap charge for the franchise. It’s understandable considering Cox’s elite on-the-field production during his time in Philly. From 2012-2021, the former Mississippi State star racked up 443 tackles, 142 quarterback hits, 78 tackles for loss, 58 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries, and three touchdowns.

Fletcher Cox had a highly, highly decorated college career

While it’s fair to say Cox’s career is wrapping up sometime in the next few years, he still had 3.5 sacks during the 2021-2022 season. His college football career at Mississippi State was a special one. As a junior, he racked up 103 total tackles, including 11 sacks, two interceptions, and one pick six. After that season, he was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly. In his senior year in Starkville, he tallied 104 total tackles, including 10 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2009 recruiting class, Cox was rated as a four-star prospect coming out of Yazoo City High School (Yazoo City, Mississippi). He committed to the Bulldogs in April of 2008 and chose them over offers from LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Colorado. Coming out of high school, he was known to have a remarkably first step among defensive ends across the country, clocking in with a 4.47 40-yard dash time.