Thursday night is only just one of the many, many lasts for Brandon Graham.
The longtime Eagles defensive end, who will be going into his 15th and final NFL season, will take the field under the lights of Lincoln Financial Field and in front of a hometown crowd anxious to get any sort of early look at the 2024 team for training camp's annual open practice, just as he has for years now.
But the farewell tour is on. This is it.
"I ain't gonna be so quick to run off the field when it's over," Graham told the media in a pre-practice press conference earlier Thursday. "Just pretty much sign up, go along the line, you know, just enjoy these moments, man...
"Try to get somebody to record some stuff while we're doing it, just for the memories. I mean, man, I always try to do it every year, but it's just that much more special knowing that this might be the last one, for sure."
With everyone having the benefit of knowing for sure.
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At the end of last season, after the Eagles crashed and burned against Tampa Bay in the Wild Card round, Graham stood in the middle of the locker room and told the media huddled around him that he had one more year left in him, dubbing it his "farewell tour" to guarantee that at least two of the Eagles' "core four" veterans would be back between himself and Lane Johnson – Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox eventually announced they had opted for retirement.
But things are going to be a bit different around the team now that the latter two are no longer there. The look of the defensive line is shifting. Inside, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams are being looked toward to grow into greater roles, while Bryce Huff, Nolan Smith, and an already-established Josh Sweat are being counted on to take over the edge.
And for the 36-year old Graham, one of his jobs this year is to help bring those younger pass rushers along as much as possible and ensure that the torch gets properly passed.
"I'm passing the torch to these boys," Graham said. "They got to be the ones in the future when we come back saying 'Man, I remember everything you taught me, and we learned this and we learned that.'... I'm just happy that these boys are just building that confidence together."
With Smith being one of the names highlighted in particular.
As the 30th overall pick out of Georgia in the draft last April, Smith didn't have anywhere near an ideal rookie season, recording only a sack and 18 tackles across a limited number of defensive snaps.
But Graham can relate. When he was drafted 13th overall in 2010, he was considered a reach by most, and didn't have a particularly great first few years between injury and uneven performance.
It took him a long time to find his way in the NFL and to become the indispensable piece to the Eagles that all of Philadelphia knows now.
And he knows that the 23-year old Smith already has all the tools to find his way, too. He's seen it already in the early part of training camp, in a budding pass rusher who looks bigger, faster, and a lot more comfortable in his game.
What happened last year is done and over with.
"I always tell him my story," Graham said of Smith. "He's [heard] my story plenty of times, especially in moments where he's feeling a little down or feeling like, you know, he took some steps back.
"But like I told him, it ain't gonna be perfect. You gotta make sure that you just keep that confidence because you don't work your butt off so much [for nothing]. As soon as one little thing goes wrong doesn't mean that it's the end all be all. Man, you just learn it as you go, but you've come a long way. Give yourself a little more credit than you do. I really do think he's gonna have a big year."
Because Graham knows what the path looks like. He's been there.
With one more year left in what he's made an unforgettable ride.
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