"I couldn't go off as a Viking, I couldn't go off as a Raven or a Cowboy," Cunningham said, "Because I know where my roots really began, and they began right here."
The 16-year veteran, who last played for the Ravens in 2001, finished his career 21 yards short of 30,000 passing and 72 yards shy of 5,000 rushing. Cunningham signed an honorary contract last week to retire as a member of the Eagles.
"I don't want to play anymore. I'm tired. Last year when I went to Baltimore, I put No. 1 on because I wanted to that last season and hopefully win a Super Bowl, and it didn't happen. I'm content now with my whole career. I can step out of the game, although I didn't win a Super Bowl, I can be content and satisfied knowing that I did my best."
Cunningham spent 11 seasons in Philadelphia, from 1985 to 1995, and showed skills as a scrambling quarterback that led to the prototype of the future.
Quarterbacks such as Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, Tennessee's Steve McNair, Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper, Arizona's Jake Plummer and many others play with the same style as Cunningham.
"There are three quarterbacks that I look at right now. Donovan McNabb and Culpepper and the young kid in Detroit, (Mike) McMahon, these guys are people who are truly, truly talented to be some of the greatest quarterbacks who ever played this game."
Defenses created a "spy" position, typically a middle linebacker or a fast defensive lineman, to force Cunningham to beat them with his arm and not his legs.
Cunningham gave credit to Buddy Ryan, Rich Kotite and Brian Billick, coaches that led to his development as a versatile quarterback, with the athletic ability to run for first downs, the patience to sit in the pocket, and the strong arm to throw up to 70 yards down the field.
The Las Vegas, Nevada native ranks second behind Ron Jaworski in almost every passing category in Eagles team history. Cunningham owns four team records, including the longest punt, a 91-yarder against the Giants in 1989. He had a club-record 13 300-yard passing games, including a club-record 447 yards in a win over Washington in 1989, and also led the team in rushing for four straight seasons.
In his career, Cunningham appeared in 162 games and started 135 of them. He earned a career passer rating of 81.5, completing 2,429 of 4,289 passes, 207 for touchdowns, against 134 interceptions. Cunningham is the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards among quarterbacks after gaining 4,928 yards on 775 carries, including 35 touchdowns.
Cunningham did not play in 1996 after announcing his retirement following a fallout with the Eagles. However, he resurrected his career in 1997 with the Minnesota Vikings. His best statistical season came in 1998, when he was named the NFL's MVP.
Backing up an injured Brad Johnson, Cunningham led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, passing for 3,704 yards and a career-best 34 touchdowns.
After returning to a backup role in Minnesota in 1999, Cunningham signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2000, and then with the Ravens in 2001, hoping to earn a ring with the defending Super Bowl Champions.
After the 1998 season, Cunningham started just 11 games, including two for the Ravens, who, of course, failed in their bid to repeat. Cunningham appeared in six games overall in 2001, and completed 54 passes for 573 yards. He threw three touchdown passes against two interceptions, and led the Ravens to wins in both of his starts.
Cunningham was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but did not receive a serious offer from any team.
"Somebody gets hurt, no I'm not coming back, I'm not even going to flirt with it. I'm going to spend time with my little boy, and I've got a little girl. And my wife, we've got a child on the way in October. So, I'm looking forward to that. It feels time to cross over and take the step on in life."
