The first day of Eagles mandatory minicamp practice doesn't begin until Tuesday, June 7 but players are required to be in Philadelphia for physicals today on Monday, June 6. The big question is: will Fletcher Cox show up? According to one Twitter user, he just might. Cox was reportedly spotted on a plane headed to Philly on Sunday evening:
@howardeskin fletcher Cox on the way to philly.. pic.twitter.com/mwCoSt2TR7
— mikemaro (@mikemaro29) June 6, 2016
Now, keep in mind this tweet is hardly an official report. There's no verification that this photo was taken on Sunday or if the plane is even headed to Philadelphia. But that sure does look like Cox.
The 25-year-old defensive lineman has skipped all of Philadelphia's voluntary offseason workouts this spring. His absence is presumed to be contract related. Cox has reportedly been in negotiations with the Eagles on a long-term deal worth a lot of money. It makes sense that he wouldn't want to risk injury in voluntary practices before signing a monster contract.
Players can be fined up to $76,580 for skipping mandatory minicamp. That's not a lot of money compared to what Cox is about to make, so it wouldn't be a shock if he doesn't actually turn up.
For what it's worth, last week Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he expects both Cox and Darren Sproles, who has also been skipping offseason workouts, to be in Philadelphia on Monday.
"I think deep down they are going to be here," he stated. "There's no indication [that they won’t be here], you know, that conversation hasn't been talked about yet. So it's a mandatory situation."
"It's the only mandatory aspect of the entire offseason program, so I, as the head football coach, expect both of those guys to be back and be a part of their team and be back in the locker room. I think it's important that they are both here."
For now, take this Cox report with a grain of salt. We'll keep you posted with any more status updates on the attendance of Cox and Sproles.
UPDATE - COX OFFICIALLY ARRIVES IN PHILADELPHIA. (Story here.)