Jul 24, 2024
Veteran Eagles DE Graham says this is final season
Veteran Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, author of one of the most consequential plays in franchise history, confirmed he will be retiring at the end of the season.
ESPN
,![Brandon Graham, The Canadian Press Brandon Graham](/polopoly_fs/1.1546692.1604292154!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/brandon-graham.jpg)
PHILADELPHIA -- Veteran Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, author of one of the most consequential plays in franchise history, confirmed he will be retiring at the end of the season.
"It's my last year, man," he said after Wednesday's training camp practice. "So, I'm just trying to soak it all in, trying to enjoy every day, trying to give it everything. No stone unturned."
This is Graham's 15th season in Philadelphia, making him the longest-tenured player in team history.
Selected 13th overall by the Eagles in the 2010 draft, Graham's career got off to a slow start due to injuries, stirring conversation about whether he would be a bust. Instead, Graham developed into a steady, productive presence on the edge for the Eagles, highlighted by a 9.5-sack campaign during their championship run in 2017.
His strip sack of Tom Brady in the closing moments of Super Bowl LII helped seal the Eagles' win over the New England Patriots, delivering Philadelphia its first and only Lombardi Trophy.
Graham, 36, has the fourth-most sacks in franchise history (73). He finished with double-digit sacks for the first time in his career in 2022 at age 34. Two seasons earlier, he made his lone Pro Bowl after posting eight sacks and 16 quarterback hits.
Graham has adapted to a rotational role over the past two seasons. He's expected to complement a group this year that also includes Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith Jr.