When most NFL teams find success, they quickly find it’s harder to sustain it.
Now that the Eagles have a Super Bowl title, they’re already losing coaches, and the players who stay behind are going to start to want their reward.
Via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, defensive end Brandon Graham is ready to parlay his strong play (and his Super Bowl-deciding strip-sack) into a new contract.
“For me, it’s all about getting as much as you can while you can play because when it’s over, it’s over,” he said. “I know Howie [Roseman] and those guys, if they want me here, they’re going to make sure that they get me here. For me, I want to be here. Everybody knows I want to be here. They see the passion I have and I’m happy to be able to bring the trophy back to Philly.
“Now, it’s just all about just making sense, just getting me protected for the future. Because obviously I want to retire here and I know I’m going to retire here because I’ve been here a long time. I would love to retire here. It’s all on what they want to do. I’m just going to embrace it, whatever it is.”
Graham is entering the final year of the four-year deal he signed in 2015, and is scheduled to make $7 million in base salary.
He’s also coming off a career-high 9.5 sacks last year, and is in an environment in which others have gotten paid (Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, Tim Jernigan) already. The Eagles tacked on $1.5 million in incentives to the final two years of his deal last offseason, but now they need to do something more than that good-faith gesture.
