Eagles re-sign defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to one-year, $10 million deal

Eagles veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox agreed to a one-year deal Wednesday to stay with the team, according to league sources who confirmed an ESPN report.

Cox, 32, reportedly turned down more lucrative offers to stay with the Eagles for a 12th season, agreeing to a $10 million deal. He had seven sacks and 43 total tackles last season as a part of the Eagles’ historically productive pass rush.

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The veteran will return to a defense that just lost several key contributors, including fellow defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and linebacker T.J. Edwards. With Hargrave headed to the conference-rival San Francisco 49ers after an 11-sack season, Cox could have an even greater role on the Eagles’ interior line next season playing alongside young defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Milton Williams.

The Eagles figure to utilize a front structure similar to previous years with new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, alternating between odd and even looks depending on the situation. Cox’s positional versatility should be an asset, especially if the team continues building things around 2022 first-round pick Davis at nose tackle.

Cox will also log another year alongside veteran defensive end Brandon Graham, who re-signed with the team last week. Cox, a 2012 first-round pick, arrived in Philadelphia two years after Graham, and the two have jockeyed back and forth in the franchise’s record books the last few seasons. Cox’s 65 sacks rank fifth in franchise history, five behind Graham’s 70 going into their 12th year together.

The 2022 season was a resurgent one for Cox, after he posted just 3½ sacks in 2021. The Eagles briefly released him last offseason but quickly re-signed him to a one-year, $14 million contract while offsetting some of his cap hit into future years. He’s made six Pro Bowls and earned one first-team All-Pro nod in his career, and developed a reputation as one of the best interior rushers in the league from 2014 to 2018. Cox also was a key member of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII.

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Cox, Graham, and cornerback James Bradberry are the notable retentions from the Eagles’ No. 2-ranked defense in 2022. The group was instrumental in the team’s playoff run to Super Bowl LVII, but featured eight players set to hit free agency.