March 18, 2025
Jimmy Kempski/for PhillyVoice
Brandon Graham calls it a career after 15 years with the Eagles and two championships.
Brandon Graham announced his retirement from the NFL in front of family, friends, teammates, coaches, and media on Tuesday. He played 15 seasons, all for the Philadelphia Eagles, and went out on top as a world champion.
Over his career, including the playoffs, Graham had 508 tackles, 82 sacks, and 24 forced fumbles. He was never a big stat compiler — and he "only" made one Pro Bowl, with one second-team All-Pro nod — but his contributions to the team were a little more nuanced.
On the field, Graham was one of the best edge defenders in the NFL against the run, and his impact as a pass rusher eclipsed what the stat sheet may have shown. Off the field, he was a culture setter, constantly emitting positivity and brokering peace. He was also one of the league's chattiest trash talkers, but he was so affable that opposing players rarely ever seemed to mind it. He was the Eagles' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee twice, in 2022 and 2024.
Graham was also the author of one of the biggest plays in Eagles history, when he strip-sacked the New England Patriots' Tom Brady, helping secure the team's first ever Lombardi Trophy. He was a great story in the Eagles' Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs as well, just by being able to get on the field, at all, after suffering a triceps tear just two and a half months prior. But he was far from just a mascot in the game. He looked like the BG of old, getting pressure on Patrick Mahomes, despite returning from his injury far earlier than usual.
Graham's career did not get off to a great start, as he was set back by injures and scheme changes. He was labeled a "bust," as fans and media lamented the Eagles' decision to draft him over other players in the 2010 draft like Earl Thomas and Jason Pierre-Paul. While Graham did not have any singular seasons that were as impressive as Thomas' or Pierre-Paul's best seasons, he ended up being a better overall player than Pierre-Paul over the long haul, and he played five more years in the NFL than Thomas.
There are few players who play their entire careers with one team, get to go out on top, and are unanimously revered by the fan base, but that will Graham's legacy as an all-time Eagle.
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