The Philadelphia Eagles were not expecting to have legendary defensive lineman Brandon Graham back in 2025, but injuries opened the door to a reunion that ended up paying off.
Graham unretired from the NFL midway through the 2025 season and finished the second half of the year with the Eagles, helping them make the playoffs and win the NFC East. Now a free agent and retirement back on the top of his mind, Graham seemingly shut that down quickly when he spoke at an event that honored the Eagles' former head coach Dick Vermeil.
“Hopefully we can win another in my last season coming up.”
Brandon Graham appears to be coming back to Philly in 2026
No Eagles fans will complain about having Graham back on the roster for the 2026 season after the 37-year-old actually was a decent contributor on the team. After a slow start, Graham ended up finishing the season with eight tackles, three quarterback hits, three sacks, and two tackles for loss in nine games.
While Graham has played a good portion of his career off the edge, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio moved him to the interior and seemed to have played a lot better from that spot. Graham isn't a fit for Fangio's edge rushers, who need to be athletic, as Graham is more of a traditional 4-3 defensive end.
Currently, Graham is a free agent and available to sign elsewhere, but has publicly voiced a desire to be an Eagle. General manager Howie Roseman has publicly said he wants Graham back on the team for the 2026 season, so it seems inevitable that Graham will be back in an Eagles uniform soon enough.
As great as Graham has been over the last 16 years in the NFL, there is concern about how much money he would get. Last season, the Eagles gave him a contract worth up to $5 million, so the Eagles fan base would like to make sure he doesn't get overpaid since he is at the tail end of his career, while at the same time giving him the proper respect he deserves for his years of service.
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The Eagles still have a lot of roster moves they need to make after a quiet start to the new league year, but Graham will eventually be on the team at some point this offseason.