Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (Keith Allison / Wikipedia.org - CC BY-SA 2.0)

Brandon Back in Philly: Eagles Legend Comes Out of Retirement

Kim

Buoyed by a Week 7 win in Minnesota, the Philadelphia Eagles received another boost. With the team in the midst of a defensive crisis, help is set to arrive in the form of one of the greatest players ever to don the green.

Having spent fifteen years as an Eagle, Brandon Graham announced his retirement on 18 March 2025. However, it seems that the 37-year-old defensive end isn’t ready to hang up his cleats after all. After a seven-month spell away, Graham’s return is expected to be confirmed before the Week 8 clash with the Giants.

All-Time Appearances Leader


Selected as the thirteenth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 draft, Graham became an Eagle on the back of a stellar college career with the Michigan Wolverines. Interestingly, his switch to defensive end came as a consequence of putting on 40 pounds during a suspension for playing in an out-of-state All-Star game.

Starting six games in 2010, Graham enjoyed a solid debut season with three sacks and 12 solo tackles. Injury ruled him out for the bulk of 2011, but he wasted little time resuming his progress when returning to the side in 2012, posting 5.5 sacks and 30 solo tackles.

Now firmly established as one of the cornerstones of the Eagles’ defence, Graham played a key role in the Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Recording 9.5 sacks and 47 tackles, he saved one of his most iconic plays for the Super Bowl. His strip-sack of Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter led to a recovery by Derek Barnett and ended any chance of a Patriots comeback.

Also part of the 2024 winning team, Graham is one of only four Eagles to feature in both Super Bowl-winning squads. The others are Lane Johnson, Jake Elliott, and Rick Lovato. When announcing his retirement in March, his 218 appearances were more than any Eagle in history, while his 76.5 sacks placed him third on the all-time franchise list.

Injuries Hit Eagles Early in 2025

Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field (Betp / Wikipedia.org – CC BY 3.0)

Following that stunning 20-7 win over the Chiefs in New Orleans, the Eagles began their defence in solid style, with wins over the Cowboys, Chiefs, Rams, and Buccaneers taking them to a 4-0 record.

Back-to-back defeats at home to Denver and on the road at the Giants exposed weaknesses in the squad – most obviously on the defensive side of the ball. In addition to Graham’s retirement, the Eagles lost Josh Sweat and Milton Williams to free agency in pre-season.

Initially, the squad looked well-equipped to cope with those losses. However, seven weeks into the campaign, the injury list has grown alarmingly. Nolan Smith is on injured reserve and Jalen Carter is expected to miss time. Azeez Ojulari left the Vikings game with a hamstring injury, and Ogbo Okoronkwo is out for the season. Throw in the unexpected retirement of Za’Darius Smith, and the Eagles are extremely short in the edge-rushing department.

Encouragingly, the Eagles bounced back to winning ways in Minnesota, with a 28-22 win, taking them to 5-2 and top spot in the NFC East. Nevertheless, the stats support the fact that the Eagles needed to add a difference maker to their pass rush. In 2024, the Eagles sat third in the passing-yards-against table and ranked 12th for sacks. Seven weeks into 2025, they’ve slipped to 17th for passing yards allowed and joint 26th for sacks – with only eleven so far this season.

Graham the Man to Plug the Gap?

Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (Keith Allison / Wikipedia.org – CC BY-SA 2.0)

Given his long service and consistently stellar play, Graham chose to go out on a high note. What better exclamation mark on his legacy than to pick up a Super Bowl ring in his final appearance? Injuries may also have played some role in his decision. Having torn his triceps in Week 12 of the regular season, Graham did well to make the Super Bowl, only to aggravate the injury in the win over the Chiefs.

This latest news suggests all is now well with Graham’s troublesome triceps. While some may fear a legendary name could tarnish his legacy, it’s worth remembering that Graham continued to operate at a high level in 2024. While Father Time ushers many players into retirement, that wasn’t the case with Graham. If he can rediscover the form that saw him record 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 11 regular-season games, he will be a huge boost to Philadelphia’s injury-hit defence.