Costa played high school football at Holy Cross High School, where he was a starting guard who played in every game during his three seasons on the team. He accepted a scholarship from the University of Maryland, where he was a two-year starter, playing mostly guard until his senior season when he started at center.
Costa was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft. He began as the fourth string center, with Kyle Kosier and Travis Bright ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster. As a rookie, he earned his first career start at left guard in place of the injured Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland, in the seventh game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He performed well during the 2011 training camp and preseason, before suffering a strained right posterior cruciate ligament on August 24, 2011. After contract restructuring negotiations fell through, five time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode was cut before the fourth preseason game and Costa became the starting center for the year. Because of his small size for the position, as the season wore on he was exposed and struggled in his blocking assignments against bigger defenders. In 2012, the Cowboys signed free agents guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to help protect Costa against stronger defensive fronts. Ryan Cook replaced him in the season opener after one series, because he was limited by a back injury he carried from training camp. He returned to play against the Baltimore Ravens and arguably had his best game as a pro, with the Ravens yielding a franchise record 227 rushing yards. In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, he suffered a dislocated ankle and was eventually placed on the injured reserve list, after playing only six quarters in the season. Looking to improve the center position, the Cowboys selected Travis Frederick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft and moved Costa to a backup role during training camp. He was eventually waived in a salary cap move on March 7, 2014.
Costa signed a two-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts on March 13, 2014. He retired at the age of 26 on April 21.
Post-Football Career
Costa is the author of The Transition Playbook for ATHLETES: How Elite Athletes WIN After Sports. After the NFL, Costa worked in medical device sales and actively participated in more than 500 heart surgeries. In 2018, he graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA. He's traveled to more than 30 countries, including South Africa, Brazil, and Japan. Phil spent time living in Madrid, Spain, where he was enrolled in Spanish language school. Phil currently lives in Philadelphia, where he is a commercial real estate broker with Wolf Commercial Real Estate and serves on the board of directors for the AthLife Foundation.
