Avonte Maddox

Avonte Maddox (born March 31, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh.

Early years
After playing little league football, Maddox focused on baseball his first two years of high school before switching to football. He received only two Power Five scholarship offers, one from Purdue and one from Pittsburgh. He was also nearly drafted into the MLB after his senior year of high school.

College career
Maddox started at cornerback all four years at Pitt. He was named Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference his sophomore year and Third-team his senior year. Maddox missed two games in both his junior and senior years due to injury.

Professional career
Maddox was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (125th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. He made his NFL debut during the league season opener on September 6, 2018, against the Atlanta Falcons, playing on special teams. Maddox recorded his first career interception by picking off a pass from Tennessee Titans' quarterback Marcus Mariota in a 26–23 overtime loss on September 30. He recorded his second interception of the season off of quarterback Jared Goff during the 30–23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

On September 26, 2019, late in a game against the Green Bay Packers, Maddox collided helmets with teammate Andrew Sendejo on an attempted tackle of Jamaal Williams and had to be carted off the field on a stretcher. The Eagles announced that Maddox had movement in all of his extremities, but was taken to a local hospital overnight as a precaution and for further evaluation; he returned with the team the next day.

In the 2020 season, during the Eagles' Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Maddox suffered an injury which ultimately forced him to miss the next three games before being re-activated on Week 7. On December 18, 2020, Maddox was placed on season-ending injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in a Week 14 win over the New Orleans Saints. He finished the season with 40 tackles and three pass deflections, playing in 10 games with eight starts.

Starting the last season of his rookie contract in 2021, Maddox led the Eagles in tackles (9) during their 32–6 win over the Atlanta Falcons. On October 24 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Maddox recorded his third career interception during the 33–22 loss. On November 20, 2021, Maddox signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension with the Eagles. He was placed on the COVID list on January 3, 2022. Maddox was activated one week later on January 10, missing just one game in which the Eagles did not use their starters.

Maddox returned as a starter in 2022 as the team's primary nickelback. He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2022, with a hamstring injury. He was activated on December 10. On December 26, it was announced that Maddox had suffered a 'significant' toe injury and would miss the remainder of the regular season. Maddox reached Super Bowl LVII where the Eagles lost 38–35 to the Kansas City Chiefs; he recorded seven tackles in the game.

On September 20, 2023, Maddox was placed on injured reserve after suffering a pec injury in Week 2. He was activated on December 30.

On March 7, 2024, Maddox was released by the Eagles. He re-signed with the team on April 4, 2024.