Longtime Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Brandon Graham was set to have a pretty darn solid market in NFL free agency after putting up a career-high 11 sacks a season ago.
Apparently, Graham is more worried about bringing a title to Philadelphia than cashing out as his career nears its finishing line.
ESPN’s Tim McManus reported on Friday that Graham has opted to forgo free agency and has re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal.
“It wasn’t even about no money. It was more about wanting to be an Eagle as long as I could still play at a high level, and of course I still have a sour taste in my mouth on how things ended this last year with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.”
Brandon Graham on re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles
It’s interesting in that this comes on the same day that Philadelphia granted fellow Pro Bowler, cornerback Darius Slay, permission to seek a trade. Slay’s cap hit for 2023 is north of $21 million. It remains to be seen how much of a hometown discount Graham took to remain with the Eagles. For what it’s worth, Sportsnaut had Graham as the fifth-best edge pass rusher set to hit NFL free agency.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL salary cap tracker
- Brandon Graham stats: 140 QB hits, 116 tackles for loss, 70 sacks, 21 forced fumbles
Since Philadelphia made him a first-round pick out of Michigan back in 2010, the 34-year-old Graham has been a mainstay for the team. He struggled to an extent out of the gate but has picked it up big time over the past several years.
The Eagles’ longest-tenured player, it’s now safe to assume that Graham will finish his career playing for just one team. That’s a rarity in today’s NFL.