From Philly with Love: Eagles Fans Say Goodbye to a Champion

Philadelphia, PA – June 3, 2025

There was no grand press conference. No farewell tour. No tearful video montage played across Lincoln Financial Field. Just a simple social media post, a quiet bow from a warrior who once helped bring a city to its feet. Ronald Darby — Super Bowl LII champion, beloved former cornerback, and proud Philadelphia Eagle — has unofficially closed the chapter on his NFL career. And for Eagles fans, it’s anything but ordinary.

Darby, 30, didn’t end his career in midnight green, but his legacy in Philadelphia is untouchable. Acquired via trade in 2017, he was a critical piece in the Eagles’ improbable Super Bowl run — the same year they took down Tom Brady and the Patriots in one of the most legendary games in NFL history. His closing speed, his poise in coverage, and his determination to return from injury not once but multiple times defined him as more than just a contributor. He was, in the eyes of fans, one of “us.”

"Philly will always have a piece of my heart," Darby said in a quiet message shared to friends and former teammates. "That locker room, that city — it made me a champion. That’s something nobody can take away."

Though injuries would ultimately define the second half of his career — including stints with Washington, Denver, Baltimore, and most recently a brief offseason stay in San Francisco — Darby never lost the respect of those who knew what he gave to Philly. He played through pain, battled through adversity, and never once complained about the scrutiny that comes with wearing that winged helmet.

Eagles fans didn’t forget. Tributes flooded social media as news of Darby’s likely retirement spread, with many calling him “an underrated piece of history” and “one of the toughest corners we ever had.”

The NFL doesn’t always send its champions off with confetti. Sometimes, they leave in silence. But in Philadelphia — a city that never forgets its fighters — Ronald Darby’s name will echo in the memories of 2017 forever.

He may not have worn green in his final snap, but once an Eagle, always an Eagle.