The 2024 season was a roller coaster for Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Brandon Graham. After announcing this past season would be his final year in the NFL, Graham suffered a torn triceps that appeared to put a premature ending to his career.
But the Eagles marched on to the Super Bowl and Graham re-joined the team in time to help lead a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The victory seemed to signal a perfect time to ride off into the sunset and although Graham is still weighing his options for 2025, a surprise injury in that game may have made his decision imminent.
Brandon Graham Re-Tore His Biceps in Super Bowl LIX
Comcast SportsNet’s Derrick Gunn discussed Graham’s future during an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic Wednesday morning. While he said the 37-year-old has not made a final decision about his future, he revealed that Graham re-tore his triceps during the Super Bowl and had surgery to repair it last month.
“He was sitting courtside at a [Philadelphia 76ers] game a few weeks ago and I said ‘Dude, what’s this?’” Gunn recalled. “He said he re-tore it and had another surgery and he played through that in the Super Bowl.”
Gunn also commended Graham’s toughness to play through the injury, logging 13 snaps and a quarterback pressure in the win over the Chiefs.
“Just coming back from [the injury] and thinking about how soon how he came back when this was supposed to be a four-to-six month rehab,” Gunn said. “Look at how quickly he came back to get his one moment in the sun…and he re-tore that thing again. I don’t know how much that’s going to weigh into his decision.”
Graham has nothing left to prove as a two-time Super Bowl champion and a first-round pick by the Eagles in 2010. The Eagles also have plenty of reinforcements should he choose to hang up the cleats with Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt projected as starters if Josh Sweat leaves in free agency.
Still, Gunn says he’s still contemplating whether he wants to return for a 17th season and has a lot of factors to consider.
“I don’t think his competitive juices…his fires have been doused yet,” Gunn said. “He’s got two rings, he’s got his money, he’s got everything you want. He’s played for an organization for a defensive lineman longer than most guys could ever imagine. …I don’t think he’s completely of the mindset right now that he’s done. He’s weighing his options, talking to his wife, talking to his agent and he’s getting a feel for it. So I’m on the fence. I’m at 50/50 right now. Normally I have a better gauge with Brandon in terms of what he wants to do, what he’s thinking. He’s keeping this stuff close to the vest in terms of how he’s proceeding in 2025.”