For a decade and a half, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox gave his time, body, and energy to the game of football. He spent his entire 12-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming one of the most accomplished players in the history of the franchise.
With six pro bowls—tied for the sixth most in franchise history, a first-team All-Pro selection, three second-team All-Pro selections, and most important of all, a Super Bowl Championship in 2018, Cox is a historic talent who has left a lasting impression in the annels of NFL history. That was made perfectly clear when he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
After another strong season, posting five sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 15 starts, Fletcher Cox announced his decision to retire on March 10. His exit was far quieter, coming in the form of a thank you letter posted on X (formerly Twitter), than that of Jason Kelce or Brandon Graham—who is currently on his goodbye tour, but the void left remains just as impactful.
Since then, Cox—who was quite the disruptive force during his career—has taken to a quiet life of farming, not entirely unlike Thanos.
Philly Sports Network caught up with the Eagles great ahead of another legendary Bird’s retirement celebration, that being Nick Foles, which took place at the beginning of Philadelphia’s Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Tell me about retired life; what are you up to these days?
“Man, life is life. I’ve just been enjoying everything. I feel like I got the last 12 years back. Fifteen years of my life has just been, you know, football, football, football, but I get to kind of enjoy some time where I get to enjoy my family, my nieces and nephews, playing sports, and just enjoy life.”
What kind of farming are you doing now?
“We got a high fence preserve place, and I trade a bunch of cattle, so we got a preconditioning grow yard there in North Texas. All the guys do a great job of handling everything, and it’s been amazing.”
What’s it like to be back here and hear everyone shouting your name?
“It’s a great atmosphere. They’re all shouting, all excited. I miss a lot of it. All the fans that they miss me, they want me to come back, but there’s no coming back for me. There’s no coming back for nine one. And I appreciate everything that I’ve given to this city for 12 years.”
So this isn’t technically the first home game of the year, but it’s the first true home game since you retired. What does it feel like knowing that you’re not going to play with a lot of these guys who were your brothers?
“Man, football is football, right? The game is gonna continue forever without me. And that’s the thing I most respect about it. You know, me making my decision to retire, it’s probably one of the best decisions I made in my life. But I’m always around for these younger guys. And you know, questions that need to be answered, guys that have to get better at their technique or things they could do better, I’m always there.”
You talked about the younger guys, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis; you spent a lot of time with them last year. Have you kept up with those guys since you retired? Have they been hitting you off trying to get tips and tricks?
“Yeah, I keep up with them. I actually texted Jordan today, and I told him, just get mad, right? Last week was unacceptable in the run game. We’re not known for having a team average 7.8 yards a carry in the run game with us. I told him get mad and take over the f—— game, is what I told him.”
Last year, if I asked what your goal was, you’d probably say it’s to win a Super Bow. What’s your goal now that you’re not playing in the league?
“Live life man. You know life is more important than anything in the world. Because the worst time is wasted time. And now, I’m not wasting any time enjoying my family, not wasting any time enjoying life, going on vacations, and enjoying the finer things in life. You know, I worked hard, I saved all my money, and then I’ve been enjoying it.”
Last thing. Nick Foles is officially retiring tonight. What do you have to say about him, thinking back on all your time together over the years?
“We got drafted together. We went through ups and downs. I was just saying that, me and Nick, we were on the team where we went 4-12, but things turned around the next couple years, and we won a Super Bowl, so that’s the most important thing.”
Retirement suits Fletcher; it doesn’t take long while speaking with him to figure that much out. He’s always enjoyed his time in Philadelphia; the city and its fans will always mean something to him that perhaps can never properly be put into words, but now, it seems Fletch is entering this next chapter with open arms, ready for where life takes him.
His football prime may be behind him, but the prime years of his life are still ahead. His golden years are a long way off, but he’s entering the Golden Age of his life with a smile across his face, and there’s nothing anyone can ask for more than that.
