NFL Network's Ian Rapoport mentioned Fletcher Cox as a name to watch ahead of today's 4pm E.T. NFL Trade Deadline.
"Fletcher Cox, maybe a little bit more unlikely the big named Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle—due a bunch of money, but the Eagles have certainly gotten calls on him. They're going to hold out on him for a high pick, so maybe this is not something that is likely, but obviously another one that we are going to watch."
Last week, Rapoport reported that teams have been calling about Cox.
Teams have been contacting the Eagles about Cox, figuring they could take a run at him to see if they could get him for a mid- to late-round pick. On the heels of Cox airing grievances about the defense, teams have reacted. Cox is one of the core veterans GM Howie Roseman wants around, so he's unlikely to part with him for anything less than a high pick.
Cox has had a down season so far with just one sack, four quarterback hits and 12 total tackles in eight games. The scheme he is playing in, however, could be the reason why. Cox has voiced some frustration with the scheme that Jonathan Gannon is running.
On the surface the idea of trading Cox, especially if the team losses on Sunday, makes sense. The Eagles are in a rebuild and Cox (30-years old) doesn’t fit that timeline. If they do decide to move Cox there will be interest, as the report indicates.
The issue is the Eagles just restructured Cox’s contract in September to create more cap room, a move that pushed more guaranteed money into future seasons. By doing so the Eagles would now take around a $51 million dead-money cap hit (potentially spread out over multiple seasons since it is post-June 1st) if they move Cox. Howie Roseman has a great understanding of the cap, so it is possible he finds a way to minimize the cap damage, but the bottom line is that trading Cox would have a negative impact on the cap, and the only savings would be not having to pay his small base salary moving forward.
The cap implications are likely why the Eagles, per the report, would only trade Cox for a high pick. It isn’t about losing Cox — it is about getting a quality enough pick to take the cap hit.
It is possible a team decides to pay up for Cox in the form of a high draft pick, but it seems unlikely.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!