Another Eagles Vet Preparing for Retirement After Brandon Graham News

As the Philadelphia Eagles begin training camp, it's hard to not think about the players who aren't with the team to prepare for the 2024 season. Franchise linchpins in Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox both decided to retire after this year's playoffs, leaving a massive void of leadership.

On Wednesday, the Eagles found out another vet would be riding off into the sunset, as Brandon Graham confirmed this will be his last NFL campaign as well.

However, it turns out Philadelphia has another loss in the near future to worry about.

Cornerback Darius Slay noted in his first comments at training camp that's not planning to play "too many more" years in the league. This just reinforces previous sentiments expressed by the former All-Pro, who's heading into his 12th NFL season and will turn 34 in January.

It might seem like a surprise to see so many key figures heading off into retirement in such a short span, but that's simply the reality of a team with an older core. Graham was part of the 2010 draft class, while Kelce entered in 2011, Cox entered in 2012 and Slay came in with the 2013 picks.

He has been a cornerstone of the secondary since them, making 59 starts over his four seasons, racking up 223 tackles, 9 interceptions, 43 pass defenses and scoring 2 touchdowns.

Of course, Slay wasn't originally drafted as an Eagle, instead beginning his career with the Detroit Lions and only moving to Philly in 2020, but his presence as a key part of this secondary will still be missed whenever he decides to hang his cleats up.

It still doesn't sound like retirement is imminent, though one major injury or life event could change that. Hopefully Philly get him a ring first before he says goodbye to the game.

The odds of that happening currently sit at +1300 on FanDuel Sportsbook, which are the fifth-best odds for any team.

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