The Philadelphia Eagles took an important step toward 2025 with a signing. They also are considering a trade up in the draft. However, Brandon Graham’s retirement decision seemed to be spurred by a moment with Howie Roseman, according to espn.com.
It came during Graham’s exit meeting with Roseman a week before the start of free agency that Graham said he knew for sure he would be stepping away from the game.
“Howie said, ‘Man, this is such a fairy-tale ending for you,'” Graham said. “‘But I'm going to let you decide on what you want to do.' I was like, ‘Man, you know what? It's over. My prayer was pretty much said to me in a way to go ahead and retire.'”
Eagles’ Brandon Graham saw the right timing
Graham played only 13 snaps in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. He re-tore his triceps during the contest.
But he said he took the injury in stride, according to his wife, Carlyne.
“I can see it and it looked exactly how it looked when he (tore it) the first time, but he didn't even care,” she said. “He's like, ‘It is what it is. We'll deal with it when we need to deal with it. Right now, we won the Super Bowl. I got to play in it. I got to play a few snaps. All that matters is I got this moment.' He didn't even really care.”
And the reason he took it well, Carlyne said, is because of the way he feels about the Eagles and the city where they play.
“I'm like, ‘Man, you really put your body on the line for this city.'” she said. “He really, really loves Philly. We don't call you guys fans. We call you guys family because that's what it feels like here. They love him and he loves him back.”
Graham enjoyed a 15-year NFL career, all of them with the Eagles. One of the best seasons in his career came at the age of 34. That came in 2022 season, when he racked up 11 sacks.
