Eagles’ Brandon Graham retires after 15 NFL seasons and 2 Super Bowl titles

The farewell tour is complete. After 15 seasons in the NFL exclusively spent with the Eagles, Brandon Graham is calling it a career.

In a tearful news conference on Tuesday afternoon, the 36-year-old defensive end announced his retirement. In his opening remarks, Graham thanked members of the Eagles organization, past and present, his family, and the Philadelphia fans for being a part of his football journey.

“This game has changed my life, but more importantly, this city has changed my life,” Graham said.

Graham finishes his playing career as the team’s all-time leader in seasons played and games (206). He ranks third in franchise history in sacks (76½) and fourth in multi-sack games (17).

This season, Graham took a difficult path to his second career Super Bowl victory. He suffered a torn triceps in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams, an injury that he declared was season-ending. However, a long playoff run gave Graham just enough time to return for the title game, in which he played 13 defensive snaps.

His road to recovery isn’t finished, even in retirement. Graham confirmed that he re-tore his triceps in the Super Bowl.

Before Graham became a trash-talking fan favorite, he endured a shaky start to his NFL career. The Eagles traded up to select Graham with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Michigan, making him Howie Roseman’s first draft pick as general manager.

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An injury derailed the beginning of his Eagles tenure. Graham suffered a torn ACL in December of his rookie season, keeping him sidelined until the following November. After nearly signing with the New York Giants at the end of his rookie deal in 2015, Graham began to hit his stride upon returning to the Eagles, especially in 2016.

That season, Jim Schwartz stepped in as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. His 4-3 scheme and wide-9 defensive front fit Graham’s abilities as a pass rusher, allowing him to solidify a full-time starting role in the Eagles defense. After posting career highs in pressures (54) and quarterback hits (22) at the time, Graham earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.

Graham had a breakout season the following year in which he registered 9½ sacks, going on to strip-sack New England’s Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII on his way to earning his first Lombardi Trophy.

He continued to have a productive career, even into his later seasons. In 2020, the 32-year-old Graham earned his first career Pro Bowl nod after he led the team in sacks (eight), tackles for losses (13), and pressures (36).

At 34 years old in 2022, he finished with a career-best 11 sacks, placing fourth in voting for the Associated Press comeback player of the year award. The year before, he had missed the majority of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

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This past season, Graham was nominated as the Eagles’ Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate, an honor that recognizes players who have displayed excellence on the field and determination to enrich their communities off it. He was also nominated for the award in 2022.

His journey served as a lesson in perseverance to his young teammates on the defensive line in recent years. Nolan Smith said late in his second season that Graham’s “belief” helped him take a leap in his game after an uneventful rookie season. With Graham’s retirement and Josh Sweat’s departure for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, the average age of the Eagles edge rushers under contract in 2025 is 25.

“Although Brandon is officially retiring as a player, we know that his impact on our team will continue to be felt for many years to come, whether it is through the culture he helped build or his future endeavors,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement.

Graham’s retirement is the latest among a group of franchise greats who have hung up their cleats in the past year. Last offseason, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox announced their retirements. Jason Peters, who spent 11 seasons with the Eagles from 2009-20, officially called it a career on Feb. 25.

Lane Johnson, the 34-year-old right tackle who agreed to terms on a one-year extension on Monday, is the last member of the Eagles’ “Core Four” — the group of Super Bowl LII winners in the trenches that also included Kelce, Cox, and Graham — remaining on the roster.