Eagles DT Fletcher Cox, six-time Pro Bowler, retiring from NFL - ESPN

Six-time Pro Bowl Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox announced Sunday he is retiring from the NFL.

He follows in the footsteps of longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce, who announced his retirement earlier this week.

«I fulfilled a lifelong dream by making it to the NFL. But what I didn't know at the time was how much of an honor and privilege it would be to represent the city of Philadelphia and the Eagles organization for the next 12 seasons,» Cox wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday.

A post shared by Fletcher Cox (@fcoxx_91)

Cox, 33, remained one of the Eagles' top performers in 2023, recording 5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 36 quarterback pressures in 15 games.

Cox is one of the most accomplished defensive players in Eagles history. He holds the franchise record for most sacks (70) and Pro Bowl appearances (6) by a defensive tackle, and trails only Reggie White, Trent Cole, Clyde Simmons and Brandon Graham in career sacks.

The 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Mississippi State, Cox has played his entire career in Philadelphia. He has appeared in 188 career regular-season games, the second-most ever by an Eagles defensive player behind Graham (195).

He helped guide the Eagles to their only Super Bowl championship during the 2017 campaign and followed that up with his best season as a pro, racking up 10.5 sacks and 34 QB hits in 2018 en route to first-team All-Pro honors.

ESPN's Tim McManus contributed to this report.