Cooper DeJean draws comparison to extinct dire wolf revived by Tom Brady-backed colossal biosciences

A Tuesday promotional post by Time Magazine included Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean with a powerful tagline:

"This is Cooper. He's a white cornerback. The first to exist in over 10,000 years. Endangered species could be changed forever." The photo included the word "extinct" with a red line through it.

The post compared Cooper DeJean's position as a unique white cornerback in the NFL and the latest breakthrough in "de-extinction" science. The process has returned the dire wolf after 10,000 years without it on the planet.

The previous full-time white cornerback to start regularly in the NFL was Jason Sehorn, who played for the New York Giants between 1996 and 2002.

The connection to the dire wolf is a result of Colossal Biosciences' historic success in bringing back the extinct animal. The firm, which has NFL icon Tom Brady as an investor and cultural consultant, was able to breed three dire wolf puppies using genetic engineering: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.

Brady hails scientific breakthrough as Cooper DeJean becomes NFL history-maker

NFL: Super Bowl LIX-Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Imagn

Brady posted in an Instagram Story on April 8, 2025, emphasizing Time's cover story on the scientific achievement:

"So proud of the team for the hard work, passion, and countless hours that have gone into this project!!!"

The seven-time Super Bowl winner added jokingly, "Remus poses better than me," about one of the wolves who appeared on Time's cover.

The scientific feat entailed harvesting DNA from fossilized remains—a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. They applied gene editing technology to reengineer gray wolf genetics into dire wolf traits. The procedure yielded animals with the snowy whites, a more massive size, and identifiable vocalizations not recorded on Earth for thousands of years.

Brady, at 47 years old, finished his inaugural season as Fox's primary NFL analyst in February of 2025, calling the Super Bowl between the Eagles and Chiefs alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

Cooper DeJean, who became 22 on Super Bowl LIX day on February 10, 2025, created headlines when he intercepted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on a pick-six touchdown. This game-changing play provided the Philadelphia Eagles with a 17-0 advantage en route to their eventual 40-22 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.