PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Graham had truly retired on top. The longest-tenured Eagles player made a valiant return from a torn triceps to play in the Super Bowl and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in his career after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
His post-retirement tour traversed all through the Delaware Valley. Graham threw out a first pitch, popped up at autograph signings at card stores, shilled his hard tea at wine superstores, raised money for charitable causes, made personal appearances, hit radio spots and even hosted his own podcast.
Yet the perks of retirement never outweighed the pull of giving football one more shot for the Eagles.
So Graham retired the idea of that perfect goodbye. With the Eagles thin in pass rushers because of injuries and other departures, the 37-year-old Graham announced a deal Wednesday to finish the season with the only team he's played for since he was a first-round draft pick in 2010.
“It felt so right at the time,” he said on his “Unblocked” podcast of his March retirement. “It felt too good to pass up. I don’t want to mess up this storybook ending. Then reality set in.”
The Eagles do need defensive help — and if they signed any other late-30-something veteran who missed more than two months of last season with injuries and played just 13 defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, perhaps more eyebrows would be raised that this improbably would be their best option.
Graham retired as the career leader in games played for the Eagles with 206, ranked third with 76 1/2 sacks and has the most postseason sacks with 5 1/2.
Graham is one of four players who participated in both of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl wins: following the 2017 season against New England and last season against Kansas City. Graham’s most memorable play came when he strip-sacked Tom Brady to help secure a 41-33 victory over the Patriots when the Eagles won the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Graham said on his podcast he never wanted to play for another team and would have returned to the Eagles after they thumped the Chiefs in the Super Bowl if they wanted him back. Graham, though, had been steadfast that last season was truly it and both sides — including general manager Howie Roseman — seemingly moved on to a championship defense without him.
“I really didn't want to retire in the beginning,” Graham said.
Even with his desire to play, would Graham really be welcomed back for a second act with the Eagles had the pass rush developed into a feared unit?
Probably not, even for one of the more beloved players in franchise history.
The Eagles (5-2) had signed veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith last month, but he abruptly retired last week. The Eagles already lost Josh Sweat and Milton Williams off their Super Bowl team to free agency and expected key contributors Nolan Smith Jr. and Ogbo Okoronkwo are both on injured reserve.
“I can add a little more value,” Graham said.
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The move does make some sense.
The Eagles had an open spot on the 53-man roster and now it can be ably filled by a valued locker room leader who should have a strong grasp of defensive coordinator's Vic Fangio playbook.
Graham said he's continued to train in retirement and his return to game action “could be this week, you just never know.” The Eagles host the New York Giants on Sunday before their bye week. With the extra time off to get into game shape, Graham could make his season debut at the Nov. 10 game at Green Bay.
Graham said Roseman had reached out to him earlier in the season about a comeback but the timing wasn't right as the Pro Bowl defensive end settled into retirement. Once Smith retired, talks about coming back to finish the season truly heated up between Graham and the Eagles.
“I feel like I'm springy and bouncy,” Graham said. “I feel like myself. I feel good.”
Graham’s career began under coach Andy Reid and continued under Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson and now Nick Sirianni as he was one the constants on the defensive line for a team built from the trenches.
He had only one season with double-digit sacks — 11 in 2022 when he helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl — but was a consistent producer of pressure throughout his career.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2020, was a second-team All-Pro in 2016 and was fourth in voting for AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 when he returned from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in 2021 to have his prolific season as a pass rusher.
Graham was solid last season until he suffered a torn triceps in a Nov. 24 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Graham was placed on injured reserve two days later, seemingly ending what he had called the final season of his career. As the Eagles kept winning, including all three NFC playoff games, Graham started to hint he could put on his No. 55 jersey — he considered it a good luck sign when the Eagles scored 55 points in the NFC title game — in the Super Bowl.
He was cleared to return for the Super Bowl.
It was a great way to end his career — for a few months, at least.
“I thought it was my last ride,” Graham said. “Things happen.”
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