Eagles’ Brandon Graham will explore free agency no matter what

Brandon Graham is upset that he could be leaving the Philadelphia Eagles, but he hasn’t given up hope just yet.

Well, it’s officially beginning to be the toughest time of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles are formally eliminated from the playoffs, and this time around there’s no honeymoon phase. Last season, the Eagles got their first taste of major victory as they played all the way into February, and brought home the Vince Lombardi trophy.

All of that was followed by a parade and nonstop celebrations for the entire offseason. While the Eagles didn’t keep everybody from the 2017 Super Bowl roster, at least the taste of victory made it sting less when key contributors went elsewhere.

This time around is much different though. The Eagles wrapped up early, and there isn’t all that much to celebrate. Sure, we’re proud that the team which was announced dead at 6-7 made the playoffs, and snagged a win, but now we have extra time this offseason to discuss the reality of this 2018 team never being the same again. And unlike last season, there are many more starters who will become free agents when the league new year begins.

The biggest name leaving the Eagles this offseason could potentially be the defensive end, Brandon Graham. The former first-round pick has been with the Eagles for nine seasons. He’s been through many ups and downs through three different head coaches and even made what could be the biggest play in Eagles franchise history when he strip-sacked Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Graham hoped a deal could get done before the 2018 season, but the Eagles money situation is far from ideal. Now, they have a tough decision to make.

The reality of Graham leaving is beginning to set in

For the last few weeks, Graham has made it pretty evident that he believes 2018 could realistically be his final season in Philly. While the veteran pass rusher made it clear that the Eagles could get him back on a bit of a discount, that didn’t mean that he won’t explore other options first. Do the Eagles have an advantage of getting Graham back considering that they drafted him in the first place? It seems like it. But the pass rusher wants to make the perfect decision. Therefore, he will explore free agency over the offseason, according to Pro Football Talk.

"“I love Philly but I owe it to myself and my family to explore free agency,” Graham told PFT by phone on Tuesday morning. “I’m in the business of doing what’s best for my family. I need to explore the market.”"

This isn’t goodbye for Brandon Graham being on the Philadelphia Eagles just yet. If we are realistic though, we can probably assume that the Eagles will get outbid by other interested teams. Let’s face the facts – the Eagles are going to be strapped for cash. They will have to rely heavily on the upcoming draft, and Graham’s recent production may make his desired price tag look a bit high. After all, pass rushers tend to demand a little more while on the free agency market. We’ll see what happens, but at least we know the Eagles have competition this offseason.