For a second straight year, the Philadelphia Eagles will be saying goodbye to a team icon. After parting ways this past season with longtime center Jason Kelce, defensive end Brandon Graham signed a one-year deal with the team for what he said will be his final NFL season.
"I did it because, I always wanted to get to 15 (years in the NFL)," Graham told CBS Sports senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson after signing the extension. "I'm happy that the team wanted me one more year. … It's important to me because Ray Lewis was one of the guys I looked up to (as a player); to see him do it the way he did it (staying with one team for 17 seasons) was nice … but I'm done after this."
Graham, who will turn 36 in April, has spent his entire career in Philadelphia. The 13th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Graham has played in 206 games for the Eagles, including the postseason. He is fourth all time in franchise history in career sacks (73) and is 3.5 sacks from passing Clyde Simmons on the team's career sack list.
A part-time starter during his first five seasons, Graham earned a career-high 10 starts in 2015. He became a full-time starter the following season and played an integral role on the Eagles' championship-winning squad in 2017. He had a sack and a forced fumble during Philadelphia's 41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Graham told Anderson that the addition of new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gives him confidence that Philadelphia's defense will rebound after what was a tough 2023 season. The Eagles are expected to load up on defensive backs and pass rushers during the April's NFL Draft.
