Eagles believe that Brandon Graham deserves what he is asking for
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham may get what he wants this offseason.
It’s been a while since we have heard from the staff of the Philadelphia Eagles. General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson made their presence felt for the first time this offseason at the NFL Combine. The Super Bowl champs discussed many topics varying from the chemistry in the locker room, all the way to contract rumors.
One topic that stood out was when they discussed defensive end and Super Bowl hero, Brandon Graham. There were rumors that Graham was looking for an early extension back in the middle of the 2017 season. Unselfishly, Graham put those talks aside to just focus on the task at hand. That was winning the Super Bowl.
Now that the Eagles got their ring and we have Graham to thank for that, there may be some contract discussions coming very soon. Graham isn’t set to be a free agent until next season. But just like many big-name players, he wants to know that he has a more extended future with the Eagles sooner than later.
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The Eagles currently do not have the cap space to make it happen. In fact, they don’t have any cap space at all. As they still work to get under the cap limit, they are focusing on what some of the top priorities of the offseason will be. Judging from Roseman’s press conference at the combine, it sounds like he is very open to working something out with Graham.
What does Howie have to say?
Howie Roseman on Brandon Graham: He certainly deserves the opportunity to get more money. We have a great relationship with his agent and we love him here. We want him to retire as an #Eagles player.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) February 28, 2018
It sounds like Roseman and the rest of the Eagles have tremendous faith in Graham being an Eagles legend. The Eagles have been criticized in the past when they passed up on Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas for Graham, but now it looks like they did pretty well with the pick. Graham has been a contributor since day one in 2010, but he is starting to turn up the heat in his prime.
He is coming off of a career-high season. He tallied 9.5 sacks and 33 total tackles. Graham also picked up a scoop-and-score for the first time in his career.
But nothing amounted to his Super Bowl contribution. His single strip-sack on Tom Brady to seal the deal in Super Bowl LII is what made Graham deserving of an extension. Without that play, we might not be looking at the Eagles as Super Bowl champs, but only NFC Champs. So with that being said, Howie needs to pay the man.
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