Eagles interested in bringing back veteran DE

Brandon Graham and the Eagles are interested in a new deal, and it sounds like there’s confidence that a deal could soon be finalized. 

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there’s “mutual interest” in Graham re-signing with Philly, and a new contract “could come prior to free agency.”

There were some whispers earlier on Monday that the Eagles and Graham had indeed agreed to a new deal. Rapoport said that isn’t true, but the reporter did provide some optimism that a deal could be completed sooner than later.

After spending the past 14 seasons with the Eagles, it would be a major surprise if the two sides couldn’t find common ground. 

After finishing up his three-year, $40M extension with the Eagles in 2022, Graham re-signed with the team on a one-year, $5M deal last offseason. 

He was coming off an 11-sack campaign the last time around, but after failing to come close to those numbers in 2023, Graham may have to accept an even lower total in 2024.

Following the Eagles’ disappointing finish to the 2023 campaign, there was some speculation that the 35-year-old could look to hang up his cleats. 

However, Graham was quick to dismiss that notion, stating that he still has a “little bit of juice” and intends to have a “farewell tour” in 2024. 

The former first-round pick also hinted that he’d be interested in sticking with the organization when his playing career comes to an end.

While Graham’s counting stats dropped in 2023 (16 tackles, three sacks), Pro Football Focus still ranked him 17th among 118 qualifying edge defenders. 

He got into about a third of his team’s defensive snaps, and assuming Graham re-signs with the organization, he’ll likely be eyeing a similar role in 2024. 

Graham will also have an opportunity to build on some of his franchise marks next season. 

The veteran only needs 3.5 sacks to pass Clyde Simmons for third place on the franchise leaderboard, and he needs one forced fumble to break away from Seth Joyner for sole possession of second place on the team’s all-time list.