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Eagles DE Brandon Graham Makes Retirement Decision After 15 Seasons

The Philadelphia stalwart owns two championships.

Patrick Andres

Brandon Graham called it a career Tuesday after 15 years.
Brandon Graham called it a career Tuesday after 15 years. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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After a lengthy Philadelphia Eagles career, defensive end Brandon Graham is walking away a champion.

Graham is retiring from the NFL with immediate effect, he announced in a Tuesday morning press conference. The 36-year-old recorded 3.5 sacks in 11 games in 2024.

“I gave it everything I have," Graham told reporters in his farewell statement.

The Eagles drafted Graham 13th out of Michigan in 2010, and he never left. His 76.5 sacks rank third in team history—a remarkable feat considering he only cracked double-digit sacks once. He retires a two-time Super Bowl champion, having reached the summit in 2017 and '24; a pivotal strip-sack of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII helped seal Philadelphia's first Super Bowl win.

He made one Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in 2020, and also garnered some All-Pro love after a career-high 59 tackles in 2016.

In Nov. 2023, Graham set a franchise record by playing in his 189th game for the Eagles.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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