The Eagles are wasting no time in attacking what promises to be a hectic offseason. Brandon Graham has signed a three-year contract extension with the team who drafted him nine years ago. Here are some quick takeaways:
The player:
A big-time payday is something that has been a long time coming for the Michigan product. After a 9.5 sack campaign last year, many assumed the Eagles would strike while the iron was hot, however, no extension was agreed upon. Graham played out his contract year, playing in all 16 games for the sixth year out of his last 7, tallying 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 39 tackles.
While this could be considered a
Graham has been an instrumental piece of the Eagles defense and has long-deserved a new contract. In fact, ever since his final season under Chip Kelly where he amassed a then-career-high 51 tackles, 6.5 sacks
The value:
This was a very smart move by the Eagles. Pass rushers are becoming a premium and in a free agency class that is almost destined to be ruled by the franchise tag, striking early before his value rises exponentially made a lot of sense here. According to Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth between $12M and $14M per year. Graham has always wanted to remain in Philadelphia and while the finer details of the new deal are not yet known (to be updated), keeping the 30-year old, who has been nothing but productive each and every season, is one thing, but being able to retain his services and set the market, as opposed to lose him and let another team raise the bar, makes sense.
The position:
DE was going to be a HUGE need for the Eagles if they lost Graham. Without him, Derek Barnett would be starting alongside Michael Bennett/Chris Long, with Josh Sweat making up the remaining depth. The pass-rush relies on rotation and if the team lost Graham, it’s a lot of pressure on Barnett to hold the fort. By keeping Graham for three years, Roseman buys himself a window to groom the next long-term starter, likely named Derek Barnett.
AP Photo/Butch Dill
