Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox announces retirement after 12 seasons
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox announced his retirement on Sunday following 12 seasons in the NFL. Fox posted a message to Eagles fans on his Instagram and also thanked his coaches, teammates, organization leaders, family, and friends who were with him for the journey.
Philadelphia drafted the former Mississippi State star with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He went on to start as a rookie, tallying 5.5 sacks in his first season. Over 12 seasons, Cox racked up 519 tackles with 70 sacks and 16 forced fumbles.
Cox, now 33 years old, retires as a six-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro first-teamer and three-time All-Pro second-teamer. He won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2018, taking down Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
On Monday, the Eagles lost another veteran member of the team to retirement. Philadelphia center Jason Kelce held a press conference to officially announce his plan to retire after 13 seasons in the NFL. The lineman hosted the press conference at the Eagles facility with friends, family, coaches and teammates in attendance.
Kelce put together a decorated career for the Eagles after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati. He became a six-time All-Pro selection and a seven-time Pro Bowler as a key part of the Philadelphia offensive line and he seemed to get better and better with age.
More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency
The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who will become unrestricted free agents.
In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.