The Philadelphia Eagles don’t seem ready to say goodbye to all of their franchise greats during the 2024 NFL offseason. After Jason Kelce just retired, with Fletcher Cox expecting to join him in the coming weeks, the Eagles have been working quickly to try and keep their longest-tenured player on the team for one more season.
With just a few short days before free agency begins, it looks like the two sides are on their way to accomplishing that.
Brandon Graham, Eagles Working on Extension
Following the Eagles’ 32-9 Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January this past season, several people wondered what the future would hold for 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham. As a player, he pre-dated Kelce, Cox, and Lane Johnson’s time in Philadelphia, but was set to hit free agency this offseason.
That may not be the case anymore.
According to Derrick Gunn of JAKIB Sports, the Eagles and Graham are working on a one-year deal that would keep the defensive end with the team that drafted him over a decade and a half ago.
It would also mean that Graham’s 15-year NFL career with Philadelphia would be the most ever by a football player in franchise history — surpassing the great Chuck Bednarik whom he was tied with.
While a contract for the two sides has not been officially agreed upon, the likely deal is expected to be Graham’s last in the NFL. The former Michigan product said following Philadelphia’s elimination in January that the 2024 season would be his last.
Graham’s Impact on Philadelphia
It’s very rare, as Gunn points out in his tweet, for a defensive end to play 15 seasons with one team. Not even Reggie White, arguably the greatest defensive player in Eagles history, finished his career in Midnight Green (or Kelly Green for that era).
Graham, as he has been for the course of his career, though, has been a special case.
When you look at his career numbers over his 14-year NFL career with Philadelphia, they don’t scream like one of the legendary sports icons in the city. Sure, his 73 sacks are good for fourth all-time on the Eagles’ career sacks list, and he’s just four away from passing Clyde Simmons, but with just one season with over 10 sacks, the numbers don’t show a consistently dominant player.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story of why Graham potentially returning for a 15th season could be the culmination of an all-time great Philadelphia sports story, though.
KEEP READING: Philadelphia Eagles 2024 Free Agents
As a run defender and consistent pass rusher, Graham has been known to successfully get after quarterbacks and make key plays when they matter most. Graham’s fumble forced on Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII not only led to the Eagles’ first championship in franchise history, but it cemented his legacy as one of the most clutch players in Philadelphia sports history.
Graham’s play in the Super Bowl has been enough for him to stay in Philadelphia his entire career. But as he prepares to embark on a team record in 2024, the signs are there that the Eagles could be saying goodbye to another great legend for the franchise in just another offseason.
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