Fletcher Cox might not be a free agent for long.
The Eagles released Cox, one of the best defensive linemen in team history on Thursday night.
Several hours later, the NFL Network reported that Cox is close to returning for an 11th season on a one-year contract.
The team announced the move Thursday evening, but it was made official before Cox was to be guaranteed $18 million this season, the NFL Network reported.
Cox, of course, can sign with another team. The 31-year-old, who is fifth in Eagles history with 58 career sacks, could be in high demand.
Cox was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Mississippi State. He developed into one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and was named to six straight Pro Bowls from 2015-20.
But Cox was also getting expensive. In the spring of 2016, he signed a six-year contract worth $102 million. The Eagles restructured the contract a few times as the years went on to convert his guarantee into a bonus and thus save money on the salary cap.
That, however, pushed guaranteed money into future seasons. Cox’s salary cap hit for 2022 was slated to be $15 million, according to overthecap.com, then dropping to $13 million in 2023 and back up to $17 million in 2024.
Cox’s play has been declining over the past few seasons. Cox, who had a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2018, had 3.5 in two of the last three seasons.
That included this past season, when Cox got off to a slow start, then bristled at the defensive schemes of new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Cox sounded off after the Eagles’ 33-22 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 24.
The Eagles tried trading Cox at the deadline last fall, and apparently tried again during this offseason. But with his guaranteed money looming, the Eagles decided to release him.
The Eagles are releasing Cox with a post-June 1 designation, meaning they will save about $16 million on the salary cap this year.
No doubt, if Cox returns, it will be for less tha
Even without Cox, the Eagles have a strong defensive line. Fellow defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is coming off a Pro Bowl season with a career-high 7.5 sacks, and the Eagles drafted Milton Williams in the third round last spring.
In addition, they signed Haason Reddick as a pass rusher on the outside to go along with Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
