Brandon Graham had a career year in 2022…and he’ll be back for at least one more.
According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, Graham has agreed to a one-year deal to return to Philly McManus cites a source as saying is worth up to $6 million. It is not yet official, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, but “pretty much done” per a conversation with Graham.
“I haven't officially signed yet, but it's pretty much done. I'm coming back. It wasn't about the money. I love Philly. I don't want to miss a championship with Jalen. Jalen is the man. I just told my agent make it happen,” Anderson tweeted from a phone conversation with Graham.
The 34-year-old had told McManus he agreed to the deal “out of loyalty” to the organization that drafted him No. 13 overall in 2010, and wanted to get it done “before free agency so I wouldn't have to go through that part.”
Graham had a career-high 11 of the Eagles’ franchise-record 70 sacks last season, and his 70 career sacks are the fourth in franchise history behind Reggie White (124), Trent Cole (85.5) and Clyde Simmons (76). He will now have a chance to pass Simmons, at least, on another team-friendly deal, something Graham has been very amenable to in recent years.
Back in 2019, he signed a three-year, $40 million extension, but then restructured that deal in both 2020 and 2021 to open up more cap space for the Birds. The team once again has limited cap space this offseason and a slew of free agents, so Graham taking a deal that seems to have a lower base with more incentives and bonuses can only be helpful to their quest to return to the Super Bowl.
"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,” Graham told McManus.
In addition to the chance to climb into the Top 3 in sacks, Graham could become the all-time leader in games played as an Eagle this year; his 178 regular-season games are 10 behind kicker David Akers, who appeared in 188 games for the Birds between 1999-2010.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to 94WIP via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker