Brandon Graham laughed off report, but then got a little mad

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Brandon Graham returned to the NovaCare Complex earlier this week with an Instagram video and a tweeted statement (see story).

The only reason this was noteworthy was because of a Philadelphia Inquirer report that said Graham was preparing to stay away from the Eagles' OTAs and possibly the mandatory minicamp because he was unhappy with his contract. 

Just after that report, a league source told CSNPhilly.com that there was "no contract dispute." 

While Graham was away from Philly last week (in his hometown of Detroit), he returned this week and said he will be at OTAs when they start on May 23. 

On Wednesday, he sat down with Michael Barkann on Philly Sports Talk to further address the report that he denies. 

"At first, I was just laughing at it because obviously, you know, you want to get more money and stuff like that, but I mean, this wasn't the time or place for it," Graham said. "I felt like once it got blown up, I kinda got a little mad, because I'm like, 'Man, you got all these fans attacking me and don't even know the real [story].' 

"I figured I'd spend my time with my family because that was the whole point of me going back and then I'll address it when I get back. That's why I was kind of off social media and stuff like that because it started to make me a little angry because of some of the fans coming at me, so I just kind of got off of it. And then when I got back, I addressed it. I'm happy to let people know I'm here." 

Graham, 29, has two years left on the contract extension he signed in 2015. He will be paid $6.5 million with $7.5 million cap hits in each of the next two years. 

Barkann sought further clarification about Graham's contract. 

Has he or his agent been pursuing a new deal? 

"No, not right now," Graham said. "I mean because obviously, I'm happy with what I got right now. I'm just trying to really win. Really be the leader. I've got too much on my plate right now, as far as being a vet and a lot of guys looking up to me, so I want to make sure I'm there and there for this team."

Graham, who talked earlier in the spring about his goal to become more of a leader, is one of the longest-tenured players on the team. And he can have a big role in the development of rookie Derek Barnett. 

The Eagles drafted Barnett with the 14th pick last month. When the report about Graham's possible holdout surfaced, many speculated that the pick could have been a part of the problem. 

"I'm at the point now where, man, I'm welcoming whoever they bring in because I know we all have one goal and that's to win the championship," he said. "I've been here eight years, now going on eight years, and I just want to win, man. Because I want us to be able to ride up Broad Street and have some fun. And just bring something to this town and bring some real good energy into this town with a championship."

In addition to Graham and Barnett, the Eagles still have Vinny Curry and they also signed Chris Long during the offseason. Graham is convinced the team's depth along the line will be better this season and he's hoping to avoid any long team sack droughts. 

"I think with [Barnett], he's going to bring the pressure on the opposite edge and we're going to have some fun," Graham said. "He's definitely going to up the sacks for us this year and help us win."

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