Fletcher Cox spent 12 seasons disrupting offenses as a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, the retired NFL veteran is chasing wins in a different arena — behind the wheel of a race car.
Cox, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, four-time All-Pro, and Super Bowl champion, retired from the NFL in March 2024. The former Mississippi State standout announced his decision on Instagram, opening the door for him to pursue his longtime passion as a drag racer.
“I was always wanting to drive the car,” Cox said. “But obviously my profession was more important than driving a race car.”
Cox was no stranger to the sport during his playing days. He often stood behind his team’s doorslammer entries with a headset on, serving as owner and supporter of drivers like “Nova Joe” and Sean Ayres. When his NFL career ended, he decided it was time to climb into the seat himself.
His debut came at the PDRA Mid-Atlantic Showdown in Dinwiddie, Va., where he qualified No. 4 and advanced to the semifinals. Weeks later, he claimed his first No. 1 qualifying effort at Maryland International Raceway, less than 50 miles from the stadium where he recorded more sacks against the Washington Commanders than any other team.
Cox added another No. 1 qualifier at Martin, Mich., solidifying his arrival in professional drag racing.
“It just took some time,” Cox said. “We obviously ran some no time stuff with the same car training day, but took some time and took the car down to RK Racecraft on a Sunday, and Ryan was gracious enough to come.”
Cox credited his team for his quick learning curve. “The biggest part was taking up on it the right way,” he said. “And I say that is really just putting together a badass team like we have right now with Phil and Andy and Joe, all of my friends that come help, Tommy, Kirk, Macbeth, obviously Casey, my girlfriend.”
Knowledge, Cox said, has been key. “I got two crew guys that drive cars,” he said. “And then you take a guy like Phil Shuler, who has been around race cars his entire life, and he’ll tell you, ‘I’ve never been in a race car, but I can tell you when you’re doing something wrong.’”
Cox said he relies on his mentors and listens closely to their advice.
“The good saying going is knowledge is power, and when you have knowledge it’s power, and you just have to listen to those guys and soak everything that they’re saying in,” Cox said. “I’m humble enough to do that and I don’t know it all, because we all know anything in life can humble you.”
Despite the intensity of his NFL career, Cox said nothing about driving intimidates him. “The best thing about the 2025 season with Fox Racing is we’re having so much fun,” he said. “There’s no bad vibes and everybody likes each other, everybody gets along, and there’s not really much that shakes me up.”
Cox emphasized that the team’s focus is enjoyment as much as performance. “It don’t matter if it’s a good run or a bad run or it’s a win or a loss in eliminations, we all smile and I tell everybody, ‘Good job,’ because that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “We’re here to have fun.”
Former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini holds the title as the fastest ex-football player on the drag strip [5.49, 277], but Cox isn’t in a rush to catch him yet. “I don’t think I’m ready to run out the back yet,” Cox said. “Actually, a conversation we had the other day that I need to get my quarter mile license, and I’ll get it in this car, but we’ll be fine.”
Cox’s size played a role in his choice of vehicle. “I’m a big dude so it is hard to find a dragster that actually fits a guy that’s six-four and 270 pounds,” Cox said. “So obviously very, very blessed to know that I own this car and was able to fit and it’s all working out, so we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”
His background as a defensive lineman also helped his transition. Hall of Famer Alan Page, a former drag racer himself, once suggested defensive tackles make good drag racers because of their reaction times. Cox agreed. “My reaction time when I first started, it was not that bad, but I’ve been getting better and I’m really, really hard on myself about it,” he said. “But I decided to stay patient and just keep chipping away.”
Cox compared the process to football. “That’s the way anything is in life, you keep chipping away, you get better at it, and the trials and tribulations is all coming together,” he said.
The similarity between the snap count and the starting line isn’t lost on him. “Well, you can go off sides, you can turn the red light on, so that’s the most important part,” Cox said. “So we try to be legal and do what we need to do, and I try to keep always calm in a car, not overreact to any other problems.”
Cox said his goal is progress, not rushing to meet anyone else’s benchmarks. “We’re fine,” he said.
The former NFL star may be new to driving, but his competitive instincts remain. Whether it was hunting quarterbacks on Sundays or hunting elapsed time on the drag strip, Cox said the formula is the same. “You just keep chipping away,” he said. “And it all comes together.”
