Philadelphia Eagles: Is Brandon Graham gearing up for his own Last Ride?

Could 2020 be Brandon Graham’s ‘Last Ride’ with the Philadelphia Eagles?

After 30 more or less uninterrupted years in the WWF/WWE, Mark Calaway took the ring for a relatively familiar situation: A Wrestlemania match.

Okay, technically the match wasn’t even in a ring, as the “Boneyard Match” versus A.J. Styles was famously shot in a cinematic-style, but as has become commonplace, even in this current world of crowd-less sporting events in the age of coronavirus, fans were all too familiarly able to tune in for a match on the biggest night(s) in wrestling to watch a true legend, The Undertaker, throw down on pay-per-view.

And as it would turn out, it very well may be his last.

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As detailed in the WWE-produced ‘The Last Ride’, the rigors of a 30-plus year career in the ring had increasingly taken its toll on the 6-foot-10, 300-pound Deadman. Despite signing an incredibly lucrative ‘lifetime’ deal to remain gainfully employed for the rest of his days, Calaway was ready to move on from the gimmick that made him a household name and ride off into his post-ring life like an American Bad As… you know the phrase.

The ultimate takeaway from Taker’s documentary? No one, not even a literal deadman, can perform at a high level forever, and eventually, even all-timers have to walk away on their own terms or otherwise.

But, you may ask, what does this have to do with the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, barring a serious change of fortune, it looks like 2020 may ultimately go down as its own last ride for everyone’s favorite defensive end Brandon Graham.

You see, Graham and Calaway actually have a lot in common. Both technically started their careers elsewhere (Michigan and WCW) before decades-spanning, uninterrupted tenures with their organizations made them impossible to identify with anywhere else. Like Calaway, Graham was seldom given massive accolades (titles and Pro Bowls) but remained incredibly respected by their peers.

Heck, Graham even has his own version of ‘The Streak’, as he’s the longest-tenured Eagles draftee still with the team by a pretty significant margin.

But like Calaway, Graham’s professional career has gradually reached a crossroads, with its future anything but certain. Sure, Graham just inked a new contract extension worth $39 million over three years in March, but that deal only runs through 2021, when the Eagles will be looking to move on from expensive older players to reconfigure a young corps for long-term contention.

With the salary cap expected to drop considerably in 2021 due to the lost revenue of having audience-less fans this fall, and the potential to free up $13 million with a post-June 1st release (per Over the Cap), Graham’s tenure in South Philly may come to an end whether he wants it to or not.

Since becoming an every-game starter in Jim Schwartz‘s defense in 2016, Graham has without a doubt been the Eagles’ most productive defensive end. Sure, he’s continued his maddening stretch of single-digit sack seasons – a streak that, unlike The Undertaker’s, may never end – and is slowly losing the athleticism he initially exhibited with the Wolverines, but it’s not like the Eagles have been flush with edge-rushing talent – and believe me, they’ve tried.

From Vinny Curry to Marcus Smith, Josh Sweat, Shareef Miller, and most recently Genard Avery, the Eagles have tried time and time again to acquire a long-term heir to Graham on the outside, with very little to show for it. If he were to receive his walking papers next summer, and assumingly sign a deal with his hometown Detroit Lions, would the Eagles have anything in the way of exterior pressure? At that point, it may make more sense to go all-in on a three-man defensive front with the disruptive trio of Malik Jackson, Javon Hargrave, and Fletcher Cox mixing it up in the trenches.

But then again, the NFL isn’t the NBA. A team can’t go over the salary cap and write off the luxury tax bill as the cost of doing business. If Graham is unwilling to spread even more of his money out over the future or sign another extension to lessen his 2021 cap number, the Eagles might be forced to move on from their most tenured defensive player, to avoid having to make a most crucial cut elsewhere.

At 32-years-old, it’s not like Graham is getting any younger, and having money tied up in his services through 2024 is already an unadventurous predicament for a team looking to maximize their cap dollars on players who, you know, are actually eligible to play for the team.

Again, at some point, every player has to leave the game they love, whether on their terms or another’s.

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So, if 2020 does end up being Brandon Graham’s ‘Last Ride’ in midnight green, let’s hope it’s a good one. For all of the relentless motor bull rushes, swim moves, and, most importantly of all, his signature, victory-clenching strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, it’s clear BG will eventually find his jersey in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Hall of Fame, even if the rest of his league never truly appreciated his greatness. It’s just too bad he won’t get to finish out his career in front of the fans that made him, another similarity to The Undertaker that’s a bit too eerie for my tastes.

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