PHILADELPHIA − In the end, it wasn't as much of a retirement for Fletcher Cox as it was a passing of the torch to the new generation of defensive tackles in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Sure, Cox had his official Eagles retirement press conference Tuesday, roughly a month after he announced it on social media. Cox had his family members there, saying, "My entire family was at the draft when I got drafted, so I wanted my entire family to be here when I retire."

Cox reminisced about his good times, saying how thankful he was to Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman to draft him in the first round in 2012, enabling him to get out of the small town of Yazoo City, Mississippi, and immediately grow up and fend for himself in big city Philadelphia.

He thanked his teammates past and present, coaches, support staff, and pretty much everyone associated with the Eagles.

And all of it was from the heart.

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No, Cox didn't break down and cry like Jason Kelce did in his 41-minute retirement speech five weeks ago. And as far as theatrics go, Cox's speech lasted about one-fifth as long as Kelce's. But Cox's career was no less impressive.

Cox was selected to six straight Pro Bowls from 2015-20. It was early during that run when it became clear to Cox what the Eagles expected when they drafted him in 2012.

"At that point I felt like I could be a really dominant player," Cox said. "Some games I would just take over the game, and then I realized I could be really, really good at this."

Cox was still "really good at this" last season, when he was turning 33 years old. He played the most out of the defensive tackles at 59% of the snap counts, and he had 5.0 sacks. And Cox was remarkably durable, missing just 7 games in 12 seasons, only 5 because of injury. He's third in total games played in Eagles history at 188, behind only Brandon Graham at 193 and Kelce at 195.

But Cox knew it was time to step aside.

It wasn't for the same reasons as Kelce, who is three years older than Cox and thus three years further along in wear and tear. Kelce in his retirement speech, described the nagging injuries that have made it tougher for him to get ready to play each week.

And Kelce has other pursuits, such as his burgeoning TV career, his ever-popular podcast "New Heights" that he hosts with his brother and Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. And there's Kelce's family consisting of his wife and three young girls.

It's not that Cox doesn't have interests of his own, or nagging injuries. After all, he described wanting to see his nieces and nephews play sports as they grow up, not to mention spending time as a rancher. And Cox, too, knows what it takes to make it through a season as he ages into his mid-30s.

"Right now I feel great," Cox said. "Knowing what you have to put your body through during the season, knowing that the pain tolerance in Week 1 is going to be totally different than Week 14. You go through it and go through it and go through it, and you find a way. That’s what football’s all about.

"You find a way to go out there to try to get the job done for your team. Everybody around me knows that something had to be broke for me not to go play."

Now it's time for Carter and Davis to play more, much more.

Carter, especially, can take over games the way Cox did. Carter had 6 sacks while playing 48% of the snaps. Davis had 2.5 sacks while playing 45%. But both faded badly down the stretch as the Eagles collapsed in their 1-6 finish.

Still, it was so valuable for Carter to have his rookie season with Cox, and for Davis to have his first two seasons with Cox.

And their development means a lot to Cox and how he perceives his legacy.

"Absolutely," he said. "That’s part of it because you got guys, when I was young, who led the way for me ... I want the younger guys to look at me for leadership advice, and that’s what I’d like to be remembered as."

Cox mentioned players like Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins and others paving the way for him. Cox said they taught him how to be a professional, and that was the lesson he has tried to impart onto Carter and Davis.

Cox said he still plans to do that, keeping in touch with Carter, Davis and other young players along the defensive line, including Nolan Smith.

So Cox was asked what he would tell the Eagles' first-round pick in the NFL draft on April 25. He didn't hesitate: "Come humble and ready to work because it’s not easy here. You gotta have thick skin."

Cox went through this as a young player. Now he realized it's time to step aside so Carter and Davis can go through it, too.

"Will I miss it?" he said. "Absolutely. Everybody does."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why Fletcher Cox retirement was about Eagles Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis