Hours After Releasing Him, Eagles ‘Likely' to Re-Sign Fletcher Cox

Hours after releasing him, Eagles 'likely' to re-sign Fletcher Cox originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Hours after releasing Fletcher Cox, the Eagles were nearing a deal Thursday evening to bring back the six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Clark reported Cox is “most likely” returning to the Eagles on a one-year contract.

The Eagles had hoped to come to terms with Cox on a restructured contract before having to release him, but with a 4 p.m. deadline looming to pay him a massive $18 million bonus, they released him with a June 1 designation that eliminated the $18 million bonus and broke up the dead cap money from his contract into the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

But as first reported by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the two sides continued to talk even after Cox officially became an unrestricted free agent on Thursday afternoon, and by Thursday evening it appeared those talks were nearing a resolution.

If Cox does re-sign, the dead money from his original contract remains on the books.

It was a truly unique set of circumstances that led the Eagles to release one of their most decorated players in franchise history, only to start negotiating a new contract with him the same day.

But while the Eagles believe Cox is still a functional player and an above-average defensive tackle, his level of play has dropped significantly over the last two seasons, and it didn’t make sense to keep him on his previous contract and pay him $18 million they didn’t need to pay.

Cox, the 12th pick in the 2012 draft, has earned more money from the Eagles than any player in franchise history – just under $102 million, according to Spotrac.

Without Cox, the Eagles would have been awfully thin at defensive tackle, with only Javon Hargrave – who has one year left on his deal - and 2021 3rd-round pick Milton Williams from the regular rotation. Marvin Wilson and Marlon Tuipulotu are also on the roster.

Cox last year got off to a sluggish start under Jonathan Gannon – his fifth defensive coordinator – and complained publicly about the way he was being used. But Gannon and Cox sat down and figured out ways that Gannon could deploy Cox that Cox felt were better suited to his skill set, and Cox did play better the second half of the season, although he did fail to make the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2015.

Only four players in franchise history have made more Pro Bowls than Cox: Chuck Bednarik (8) and Brian Dawkins, Jason Peters and Reggie White (7 each). Donovan McNabb and Pete Pihos have also made six apiece.