Fletcher Cox joins Jason Kelce in retirement in another big Eagles loss

The Eagles’ Core Four is down to a Core Two.

Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox announced Sunday that he is joining longtime teammate Jason Kelce in retirement.

Kelce (193) and Cox (188) rank No. 2 and No. 3 in Eagles history in career games played, trailing only Brandon Graham (195), who just re-signed a one-year deal for what is expected to be his final season.

Those three players and Lane Johnson all were drafted between 2010 and ’13, played 11 seasons together and provided the foundation for a lot of success based on the Eagles’ dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Johnson (143) would be higher on the games played list but he has battled injuries throughout his All-Pro career.

“I fulfilled a lifelong dream by making it to the NFL,” Cox, the 2012 first-round draft pick, wrote in the announcement shared to social media, “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 is a former First-Team All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

He finishes with 70 career sacks, including five last season.

In his long parting list of thank yous, Cox grouped together Graham, Kelce and Johnson and said, “You guys will always have a special place in my heart.”

The Eagles were Super Bowl favorites at one point last season before the season crashed and burned, an unfitting end to the era for Kelce and Cox.

“To Eagles fans everywhere – there is not a fan base in all of sports that is as passionate as you,” Cox wrote. “You are intense and demanding. But it’s because of how much you care. After spending my career here, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. … I gave everything I had to this team and this city.”