PREP: Eagles' Brandon Graham announces retirement after 15 seasons
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham announced his retirement Tuesday, bringing to an end a 15-year career that saw him be a part of two Super Bowl winning teams.
'I gave everything I had in this. I don't have no regrets,' an emotional Graham said as he made his announcement before thanking family, friends, teammates, staff, coaches, owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman.
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'My life has been forever changed because of this magical place.'
At the end of his statement, Graham spelled out the chant E-A-G-L-E-S one last time before adding, 'Fly Eagles fly. My last one. B.G. out, baby.'
One of the best to ever wear the midnight green. Thank you for 15 incredible seasons, Brandon Graham.
Congratulations on an amazing NFL career 👏 pic.twitter.com/kPcq1FqwS0
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 18, 2025
Graham, 36, spent his entire NFL career with the Eagles and is the franchise leader in games played at 206. His final sack in Week 12 moved him past Clyde Simmons for the third-most sacks in team history with 76.5 — behind only Reggie White and Trent Cole. Graham only had two seasons without a sack and he played a combined five games in those seasons due to injury.
In 12 playoff games, Graham added 5 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles with none bigger than his strip sack of quarterback Tom Brady in the closing minutes of Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots, which was the Eagles' first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Graham's toughness and grit were among his key attributes and was no better illustrated than by his drive to return for Super Bowl LIX in February. A torn tricep in Week 12 looked to sideline him for the remainder of the season, but he returned early — two months and two weeks into what was a projected four-month timeline. He told reporters ahead of the Super Bowl that he understood the risk he'd be taking of a potential re-tear and he was activated off injured reserve the Saturday before Philadelphia's 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. That game ended up being the final one of his NFL career.
Despite his limited role on defense, Graham's leadership will be missed and he is one of several notable departures to an Eagles unit that swarmed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. Philadelphia has lost edge rusher Josh Sweat (signed with the Arizona Cardinals), defensive lineman Milton Williams (signed with the New England Patriots) and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (signed with the Minnesota Vikings) in free agency. The Eagles also released cornerbacks Darius Slay (who has since signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and James Bradberry and traded defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans.
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Selected out of the University of Michigan with the No. 13 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Graham played in 13 games in his rookie season before a torn ACL in December kept him sidelined until November 2011. He only played in three games in 2011. Graham worked as a pass rushing specialist before growing into a bigger role on the defense. In 2016, he notched a career-best 22 quarterback hits en route to a second-team All-Pro selection. Following an eight-sack season in 2020, Graham made his only Pro Bowl team. From 2012 to 2020, Graham only missed one game out of a possible 144 contests and that was when he was inactive for the final week of the 2017 regular season with Philadelphia resting key starters having secured home field advantage for the NFC playoffs.
In 2021, a torn Achilles tendon cost the 6-foot-2 defensive end all but two games. Graham came back the following season at the age of 34 and recorded a career-high 11 sacks in 2022 — marking the fourth time in six years where he recorded at least eight sacks in single season. He finished fourth in the voting for NFL Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year and his strong season helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.
Graham signed successive one-year deals in 2023 and 2024 to return to the team albeit in a limited role. He is the latest long-time Eagles contributor to step away from the game. Following the 2023 season, center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox both retired. Like Graham, Kelce and Cox only played for Philadelphia in their respective 13- and 12-year careers. Kelce (193) and Cox (188) rank right behind Graham in games played for the Eagles. Right tackle Lane Johnson, a 12-year veteran and another lynchpin in Philadelphia's run of success, agreed to a one-year extension Monday that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season.
'We all went to war together,' Graham said of his teammates. 'We fought and we fought hard. We celebrated the highs and endured the lows and through it all we built something that can never be taken away. Two championships. Two of them. We made history together. While the trophies and rings are incredible, what I will cherish most are the moments. … All them boys know how I feel about them.'
For his 15-year career, Graham totaled 487 tackles, 153 quarterback hits, 126 tackles for loss, 76.5 sacks, 22 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries with one returned for a touchdown.
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