After wrapping up his 15th NFL season with a championship, one key fixture of the Philadelphia Eagles is considering the possibility of going out on top.
Defensive end Brandon Graham, who has been with the Eagles his entire career since it began in 2010, is weighing up his future in the game.
His Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a lopsided 40-22 victory in Super Bowl LIX – giving the franchise (and Graham) a second championship.
When asked by reporters, Graham wasn’t committed to the idea of retiring on the spot.
Before the season began, the 36-year-old Graham said he originally planned playing in the league for 15 years. Now he has the opportunity to go out on top – possibly in the way that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may have hoped.
‘I felt like Jerome Bettis, the year he went out in Detroit [with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL],’ Graham said.
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham could be going out on top with a Super Bowl title
Graham and the Eagles were able to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX
Graham, 36, has been playing in the NFL for 15 years but wants to stay within the Eagles
‘I feel like, getting a two piece for Philly? We should be going for three, but you know what? I’ll take my two. I can’t wait to celebrate in Philly.’
However, when that day to hang up the pads eventually comes, the former second-team All-Pro selection says he plans to stay within the organization.
‘Let me tell you: I wanna learn as much as I can. If you want an intern coming in, I wanna learn under Howie [Roseman, Eagles general manager],’ Graham said after the Super Bowl win. ‘We got something special going on. We got the secret sauce.
‘I wanna be a part of every little thing. That’s why, even if I am done [playing], I’m not done with this organization. I’m gonna be here somehow, someway. I’m gonna figure out where my place at.’
Even if he decides to step away from the field, Graham says he plans on sticking around the locker room to continue influencing the team culture he helped to build.
‘I’m gonna make sure I keep motivating the guys,’ he said. ‘I’m thankful that we got some young guys that are gonna be here. I don’t know how [Roseman will] keep them all, but he’ll figure out a way.’
This season, Graham started in just one game but played in eleven. He totaled 20 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks this season. He managed one tackle in Super Bowl LIX.
