‘Get it done’
Defensive end Graham to re-sign with Eagles; Slay given permission to seek trade, per report
Brandon Graham is staying in Philly for another year.
The veteran defensive end said he and the Eagles have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, confirming an earlier ESPN report.
“It ain’t really about the money for me right now,” Graham told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. “It’s just more about coming back. I don’t want to miss this run we about to go on together. I just love what we got here. My loyalty is most important at this point.
“I love Philly and I’m happy to be a part of this organization. It was pretty much a no-brainer. I told my agent, ‘Get it done.'”
Graham was eligible to become a free agent next Wednesday, but he opted to return for a 14th season, which will match Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik for the most seasons by a player in team history. The Eagles provided no comment on the report.
The 34-year-old Graham played fewer snaps last season, but the reduced playing didn’t affect his production. In fact, he finished with a career-high 11 sacks in 2022. He will likely be back as a reserve behind starting edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat.
But the captain’s value to the Eagles can’t always be measured in numbers. The 2010 first-round draft pick has been a leader on and off the field and needs to suit up for only 11 more games to pass David Akers and become the franchise leader in games played with 189.
“That would be great, but I ain’t going to chase nothing,” Graham said. “I’m just happy to be back.”
Graham said during the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl that he wanted to play two more seasons. His new contract gets him halfway there, but either way, it seems unlikely that he won’t eventually retire with the team.
“That’s the goal,” Graham said. “It can’t be nowhere else.”
Report: Cornerback Slay can seek trade
The Eagles have given Darius Slay permission to find a trade partner, according to an ESPN report.
The 32-year-old cornerback is entering the final year of his contract and will count for $26 million against next year’s salary cap unless the two sides can either agree on a renegotiated contract or find a team interested in trading for him. According to an NFL source, Slay didn’t request permission to seek a trade. The Pro Bowl
“It ain’t really about the money for me right now. It’s just more about coming back. I don’t want to miss this run we about to go on together. I just love what we got here. My loyalty is most important at this point.”
— Brandon Graham
cornerback did say last week that he wanted to sign an extension with the Eagles with new money in the deal on the Montgomery & Co Podcast.
“Of course, I want an extension with the Eagles,” Slay said in the episode released last Friday. “I love the Eagles. They took another chance on me trading for me, and I panned out very well of course. But yeah, I love that money, so of course I’m going to be talking about it this offseason. That’s everyone, that’s what we all do when we’ve got one year left on our deal. We try to get the extension because it makes the cap low and then you get to start building.”
With roughly a dozen key free agents hitting the market next week and a possible Jalen Hurts extension looming, the Eagles’ financial situation is tight going into the next few seasons. If Slay is seeking new money in a reworked contract, it’s possible he could find a team with more space and willingness by surveying the market.
Trading Slay before June 1 would give the Eagles minimal cap relief relative to what a restructured deal would provide. According to overthecap.com, the Eagles would clear just $3.7 million in cap space by trading Slay before June 1.
Converting his base salary into a signing bonus would clear about $17.5 million in space but would increase his cap hits for future seasons. Trading him after June 1, when the league allows contract charges to spread out over two seasons, would clear $12.3 million in space next year and result in him counting for $5.3 million against the cap in 2024. If he’s traded, he’ll have dead cap charges through 2026.
Moving on from Slay would put the Eagles’ secondary in an even more uncertain space going into next season. All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry and starting safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps are all set to test the market next week when free agency opens up on Monday. The Eagles have roughly $6 million in cap space, but could clear some room by reworking right tackle Lane Johnson’s deal.
Slay was voted a team captain for the first time in his career last season and has become a prominent voice in the Eagles locker room since the team traded two mid-round picks to the Detroit Lions for the cornerback. He had three interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season.