Graham among key free agents this offseason
PHILADELPHIA >> Nick Foles might as well have had a going away party Monday at the NovaCare Complex. He thanked everyone for contributing to his success and that of the Eagles, despite their being overcome by a New Orleans Saints offense Sunday in a 20-14 NFC divisional playoff loss.
Although the Saints seemed to move the ball at will when they wanted to, although the beaten up Eagles had several more injuries crop up during the game – knocking defensive line anchor Fletcher Cox out for chunks of the game – Foles seemed to be close to working his comeback magic again until a pass deep in the red zone went right through Alshon Jeffrey’s hands and was promptly picked off by Marshon Lattimore with 1:57 left to play in the season.
Foles led a Birds resurgence late in the regular season, after a 41-point New Orleans win over the Eagles and subsequent Carson Wentz injury decision. He would get them into the playoffs for a second straight year, representing the biggest difference between the blowout loss to the Saints in mid-November and the coulda-been heartbreaker in the second round of the playoffs.
But there were other differences ... such as a defense that took stock of itself, followed the leadership of veterans such as Graham, and played much better down the stretch and in the postseason.
Now comes what should be one of the more active and interesting of offseasons in some time, and there is supposition on many fronts that free agents Foles and Graham will be headed elsewhere for bigger and better contract territory.
Not that they want to, exactly.
“Uh ... I mean, everything’s open,” Foles said. “The most important thing right now is just sort of taking a step back and being with family and taking a breath. But everything’s open (with the contract), we’ll talk about everything.
“Like I’ve said, I love this city, I love this locker room, it’s special. It’s really special. I’ve enjoyed every moment, so we’ll see.”
Foles was here for two different stints. Graham was here the whole time Foles was, and thensome.
While Foles would have the deserved benefit of going somewhere else to be a starting quarterback, Graham is still a vital veteran who happens to be one of the best players on defense and one of the most popular of Philadelphia athletes after nine mostly solid seasons here.
For him, it’s more of a business decision. But he indicated he’s willing to take a hefty home team discount if it’s offered.
“Nine years have been great and now if it’s year 10 or 11 or however many more to come, we’ll find out really soon,” Graham said. “”We’re going to talk before I leave. I don’t know anything, I don’t have any hint of what’s going on right now. I just think everybody’s kind of down from the loss right now. But things are going to ramp up. I’m going to talk to (management) probably today and see what the plan is.”
For Graham, that plan would best be laid right here in South Philadelphia rather than be waylayed by the realities of the pro football business.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world and hopefully we can extend it a little more,” he said of his Eagles career. “I feel like I’m not done yet. I feel like we’re just getting started on what’s to come here. We were so close, and we knew this was the big one ... this was the get over the hump game here.”
Graham’s staying plan would likely include a heart-to-heart with football operations chief Howie Roseman, and maybe the support of a locker room neighbor.
“BG has been next to this locker for seven years, man. Since the day I got here we were locker mates,” Cox said of Graham. “So I’d miss him a lot if that thing was to happen. We’ve won games together, we’ve won Super Bowls together, went through tough times together. Just so many situations together. I’d just hate to see a player like that (leave).”
But Graham seems to feel he has leverage to hang on here.
“I’m in a good spot right now,” Graham added. “It’s all about what am I willing to take less to be here, you know? What is that number? All I’m gong to say is we’re going to figure it out.”
Not satisfied, Graham then set about trying to set the number himself, that sum of his desire to stay here divided by the knowledge of what he’s worth as a top-shelf edge rusher.
“I understand where I’m at,” Graham said. “I ain’t going to be silly, now, because I only have so many years to do this. But hopefully ... if it’s $2 million off from some (other team), obviously I’m going to stay where I’m at, because I feel like people know me here. That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Is it worth going somewhere else?’ Especially if I know I’m not going to be happy.
“You don’t know. It’s not a guarantee. And I know I’m happy here.
“I love Philly,” Graham thought to add. “People know I love Philly. So my first priority is to make sure we can work something out. I respect they drafted me here. Howie, I was his first guy. We’ve got unfinished business so hopefully we can get it done.” •••
Carson Wentz opened up on his back fracture that cost him much of the second half of the season and playoffs, saying he didn’t know when the injury occurred but that it likely grew worse as time went on.
“As we discovered what it was, talking to the doctors ... getting other opinions, it wasn’t the best idea to play,” Wentz said. “I wanted to be out there, no doubt, but with the risks involved...”
Not a good idea.
“It was an onging process based on symptoms I felt,” he added. “My focus was just on letting it heal up. It’s hard to pinpoint when and where it happened. It was something that developed over time.”
Either way, it wasn’t easy to take.
“Super frustrating, you know,” Wentz said. “I still have zero games of postseason football under my belt. But I’m confident I will get that chance to do that.”
As for the healing, Wentz added, “We don’t really know a timetable. Kind of like we were during the season the last couple of weeks. Just trying to see where I was at and how I felt. But I know I’ll be fine. Once I get healed and do this the right way I should be fine.”