Aussie defensive end Matt Leo, who’s been with the Eagles since 2020 as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, has decided to retire.
On the eve of training camp, the Eagles on Tuesday placed the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Leo on the Reserve/Retired list, ending his long-shot bid to become an NFL player after working as a plumber in his native Australia. Leo was one of only 23 players remaining who were on the team under Doug Pederson.
At 31, he was also the 7th-oldest player on the roster.
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The Eagles initially signed Leo in April 2020 and after releasing him just before the season began, they added him to the practice squad with an international player exemption. Because the international exemption never expires as long as a team keeps a player, the Eagles were able to hang onto Leo for three years on his original exemption.
The only defensive players on the roster who’ve been with the Eagles longer than Leo are Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett, Avonte Maddox and Josh Sweat.
Although he played in the preseason the last few years, Leo never made it to the 53-man roster and never played in a regular-season game.
With Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Barnett, Tarron Jackson and Janarius Robinson on the roster now, Leo’s chances of making the team in his fourth training camp were virtually non-existent.
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Leo was a fascinating story. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and raised in nearby Semaphore. He played Australian Rules Football and rugby while working in Australia as a plumber before moving to the U.S. and eventually playing two years at Arizona Western Community College two years of football for Iowa as a 26-year-old freshman. He had three sacks in his career and was named to the All-Big 10 Academic team in 2019.
As NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles Insider Dave Zangaro reported, Leo is considering continuing his NFL career on the coaching side.