Cox says goodbye, and hopes for call from the Hall one day
Fletcher Cox remembers the best piece of advice he got came during his rookie season.
Linebacker DeMeco Ryans, now the head coach of the Houston Texans, told him great players find a way.
Cox spent the next decade-plus in the NFL doing just that.
The venerable defensive tackle made his retirement official after 12 seasons, all with the Eagles, on Tuesday afternoon at the team’s NovaCare Complex.
“You look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if this is something you really want to do, and I told myself when I make the decision I want to do it with no regrets,” Cox said. “I have no regrets about making this decision.”
Joined by his family, the 33-year-old recalled his journey from the small town of Yazoo City, Mississippi to the NFL where he starred in one of the most notoriously difficult cities to play.
To say he was out of his comfort zone after the Eagles made him the 12th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft would be an understatement.
“Coming from a really, really small town and at the age of 21 years old and I’m in the big city somewhere I’ve never been,” Cox said. “My mom told me you can’t come back home and I got to figure it out and grow up and become a man. I think I did just that.”
Over the next 12 seasons, Cox mauled offensive linemen and turned himself into one of the premier defensive tackles in the league. He was particularly durable, appearing in 188 of 195 possible games, and made the Pro Bowl six consecutive times from 2015-2020.
“The pain tolerance in Week 1 is going to be totally different than Week 14,” Cox said. “You go through it and you find a way. That’s what football is about. You finding a way to go out there and get the job done for your team. Everybody around me knows something has to be broke for me not to go play.”
Cox said he began thinking about retirement before the start of the season, then took some time after the Eagles’ disappointing end to make a final decision.
“This decision was not easy,” he said. “I knew at some point in my career it was (going) to be time for me to retire from the NFL. That is obviously the reason I am here today. It comes with a lot of emotions. This game mentally and physically can take a toll on you. I’ve enjoyed it at the highest level. I’ve been at the highest level and I felt like I’ve gave this game all I can give. The game has given back to me. I’ve been part of the highs and part of the lows in this league.”
What’s next for the big man?
He said he still feels great physically, but wants to enjoy time with his family and watch his nephew and nieces go play sports.
“I have my entire family here is because my entire family was at the draft when I got drafted and I wanted my entire family to be here when I retired,” Cox said. “It hasn’t set in yet. Normally, I’m off this time training. Will I miss it? Everybody does.”
Cox was asked if he’s thought about the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
His teammate Jason Kelce, who announced his retirement in an emotional speech last month, is headed there next and Cox would like to join him.
“I think me and Howie (Roseman) just talked about that. I got to get in the Eagles Hall of Fame first,” he said with a laugh.
“That’s something that I think about, but that’s in everybody else’s hands. Hopefully, a few years from now I’m putting on a gold jacket and I’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll have the same exact family here and we’ll all be celebrating.”