Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd: 'Fletcher Cox Put The Bar At A New Level'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Fletcher Cox's new six-year, $103 million contract has Sharrif Floyd smiling from ear-to-ear.
Floyd, a Philadelphia native and standout at George Washington High School in Northeast Philly, is entering his fourth season with the Minnesota Vikings. It's the final year of his rookie contract.
As a fellow defensive lineman, Floyd is thanking Cox.
"Oh yeah, I definitely sent my thanks," Floyd said Friday with 94WIP's Jody McDonald. "All over Twitter too. It was a blessing for him, I'm glad for him, happy for him. He set the bar -- he put the bar at a new level so that's good. We just gonna see where the year goes and see if we can make something happen and have some fun. That's gonna be the biggest thing especially for the Vikings. We just looking to come out and be as strong as we were last year, not only on the field but with each other off the field so that we can keep building chemistry and see if we can take if further than that first round this year."
Listen: Sharrif Floyd on 94WIP
Floyd, 25, had a troubling upbringing of his own and prides himself in giving back to Philly. On Friday night, Floyd is hosting a charity auction for the family of a fallen Philadelphia police officer and on Saturday, he is hosting a free football camps for kids.
With recent killings spurring debate across the country over the past few weeks, Floyd understands the importance of athletes speaking out and helping the youth.
"Social media gave a lot of people a voice that probably shouldn't be motivational speakers," Floyd said. "Now a days, it's like you've got so much stuff going on around the country and everybody wants to get involved, and a lot of people just not seeing what the biggest picture is. Like everybody is going crazy and fighting each other, but that's not gonna solve anything. Retaliation against the cops is not gonna solve anything, rather who was right or wrong. That's not for us to determine because we wasn't there. But at the end of the day, we've got to pick up our kids. We gotta give back to the kids that's coming up and seeing all this.
Listen: Sharrif Floyd and Deion Barnes on Andrew Porter's Pulse Of Philly Podcast
"I'm not against any of the cops, but I don't feel like I can drive around with my son in Minnesota and things like that, because of what's going on. Not me being against any of the cops, but I just don't know because of what's going on."
