Brandon Graham to hold out for a new contract?

Brandon Graham is considering holding out… or is he?

Well, this certainly isn’t ideal. According to a report from Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, defensive end Brandon Graham is set to hold out in hopes of receiving a new contract from the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Defensive end Brandon Graham has stopped attending Eagles workouts and is expected to skip organized team activities later this month – and also possibly mandatory minicamp in June – until the Eagles renegotiate his contract, two NFL sources said. […] Graham, reached via text message Wednesday, declined to address his potential holdout."

But wait. According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, McLane’s report is seemingly baseless and may be nothing more than just a rumor.

The Eagles signed Graham to a four-year, $26 million contract in 2015. Undoubtedly, he has outplayed that contract. Last season, Graham registered 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Earlier this offseason, Graham was given a glowing review from Pro Football Focus, who ranked him as the ninth-best player in the NFL last season.

"Brandon Graham generates as much pressure as any other pass-rusher in football, but will never get the credit for it he deserves because he just doesn’t finish well enough and convert enough of those pressures into sacks. Graham hurried the opposing QB this season 83 times, more than every player not named Khalil Mack. However, he only got home six times to finish the play then and there. Pressure in and of itself, though, is impactful — and hugely beneficial to a defense. In Week 8 against Dallas, Graham didn’t notch a sack, but he pressured rookie quarterback Dak Prescott 11 times, and was a huge reason for Prescott’s worst game of the year at that point.Graham can still improve on his finishing, but even if he doesn’t, we need to appreciate the impact he already has and not focus on the area of improvement when evaluating his play — because that way is losing sight of the forest for the trees."

Next: Jordan Hicks named NFL’s best coverage linebacker

If Graham really is thinking of holding out (not that that would be unwarranted), it would certainly be a bit of a low point after a largely productive offseason for the Eagles. According to OverTheCap.com, the Eagles have less than $2 million of cap space. To give Graham a raise, they’ll need to rid themselves of a hefty amount of cash.

This is definitely a storyline to keep track of as the OTAs quickly approach.