Nearing the end of an incredible career, Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive lineman Fletcher Cox has accomplished it all.
A Super Bowl championship, multiple All-Pro accolades, trips to the Pro Bowl and a spot on the 2010s All-Decade team in the NFL.
However, there is one thing he’d like to do before his career comes to an end: play with Cameron Heyward.
Appearing on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast Thursday from Radio Row at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Cox said if there’s one current defensive lineman that he could play with, it would be Heyward.
“You,” Cox said to Heyward answering his question. “That’s all love. Just the respect that you got for the game. Respect that I have for the game. The way that you play the game, the way that I play the game, like definitely we could. That would’ve been nice.
“We could make some things happen.”
That nearly happened during the 2021 season.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora in November 2021 after the trade deadline passed, the Steelers and Eagles were talking a deal regarding Cox heading to Pittsburgh. Nothing came about due to the asking price from the Eagles, which was reportedly a third-round pick.
“The Eagles were focused primarily on moving players with expiring contracts, sources said, but Cox was brought up in some conversations, with the Steelers showing interest. Pittsburgh has a limited cap situation, but Cox’s recently restructured deal afforded the team the flexibility required to add such a player. However, sources said it would have required at least a third-round pick to pry Cox away, and the Steelers were not willing to do so.”
That season, the Steelers were decimated by injuries along the defensive line as Tyson Alualu was lost for the season with an ankle injury in Week Two, and defensive end Stephon Tuitt was not with the team, sitting out the season and then eventually retiring.
At the time, the Steelers could have been able to fit Cox’s contract under the salary cap, potentially giving the Steelers a significant boost on the defensive line. Ultimately, Cox stayed in Philadelphia. Though he was cut last offseason by the Eagles, he re-signed on a cheaper deal and is tied with the Eagles through the 2024 season.
While the Steelers had some interest back in 2021 nearly putting Heyward and Cox together, it seems very unlikely at this point in their careers that they’d be able to team up. Cox (34) and Heyward (35) are both near the end of the careers. Maybe they team up for the 2025 season somewhere if they choose to continue to play. But that window to do so in Pittsburgh seems to be closed.
What could have been, though!
