Ian Rapoport reveals Eagles' massive $4.8 million gamble on Brandon Graham

Philadelphia Eagles fans have not been able to stop rejoicing at the news of defensive end Brandon Graham returning to Philly.

After revealing he was back on his podcast, Graham got to work for the first practice, where he was a full participant. He's already making some noise with Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata sharing how Graham is already talking smack after one workout.

It certainly has the feel of something special happening in Philadelphia with one of their favorite players playing. Some have wondered what the team is paying him for his services. The Eagles were more than generous with their offer to him.

Graham getting big money for the Eagles, but is he worth the price?

NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed the contract Graham signed earlier in the week, which will surely catch people's attention. Graham got a one-year, $4,895,500 deal, broken down into a $1.67 million signing bonus and $2.44 million paid out the rest of the year.

Let's be honest: for someone who is getting nearly $5 million to play, maybe 30-40% of the snaps, and is 37 years old, that seems like a lot. It's a very generous, but calculated bet the Eagles are making on their veteran defensive end.

In the type of system Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio plays, Graham is not like the other edge rushers. Fangio likes his edge rusher to drop back into coverage, like in last week's 28-22 win over the Minnesota Vikings when Jalyx Hunt got the pick-six after dropping back and getting the Carson Wentz interception. Don't expect Graham to do that.

Graham is going to be a pure pass rusher who might get 20 snaps a game and be brought in on third down for passing situations. He is limited on what he can do for the Eagles, so other guys like Hunt and Josh Uche will get more playing time as starters.

There's no denying Graham can be the leader the franchise and that defense has desperately needed all season, but he's got to be able to help at a position that only has 3.5 sacks all year. The Eagles are investing a lot of money into a man that now has to step up more than ever. Philly will see in two months whether they got a good ROI on Graham.