After months of haggling, the Philadelphia Eagles and star defensive lineman Fletcher Cox have found common ground on a lucrative new contract.
Cox has agreed to terms on a six-year extension that will keep him in the City of Brotherly Love through the 2022 season, the team announced on Monday.
The new deal will pay Cox $103 million over the long haul, including an astonishing $63 million in guarantees, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via sources with knowledge of the deal. He'll make $36.3 million fully guaranteed -- an amount that likely will be surpassed by Super Bowl MVP Von Miller's anticipated new contract with the Denver Broncos this summer. Rapoport added that Cox will earn $47.8 million over the first three years of the contract, which also includes a $26 million signing bonus.
The total value of Cox's deal is the second most ever for a non-quarterback in league history, according to NFL Research.
Although not yet a household name on par with Ndamukong Suh and J.J. Watt, Cox has been one of the league's most disruptive defensive linemen for the past season and a half.
A Pro Bowl snub in 2014, Cox went on to be lauded as team MVP by former coach Chip Kelly. He was even better last season, leading the Eagles with 9.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 20 QB hits while finishing second to Michael Bennett (57) among all NFL defensive ends with 54 QB hurries, per Pro Football Focus.
The relentless pocket pusher figures to be a mismatch for interior linemen as a three-technique defensive tackle in new coordinator Jim Schwartz's 4-3 scheme. Buffalo Bills guard Richie Incognito, a Pro Bowler in his own right, conceded after a December loss to the Eagles that Cox "ate my lunch today."
Now that he's kicking inside to his more natural position, he can be the linchpin in one of the NFL's most intriguing defensive fronts. Perhaps he can even fulfill last June's prediction that Philadelphia's defense will feature the strongest front seven in the league.
