Brandon Graham is retiring — again.
On Tuesday, at a “Breakfast with the Birds” event hosted by Jefferson Health, the Eagles great announced that he was “officially done.” Graham, 38, retired in March of 2025 following the Eagles’ victory in Super Bowl LIX. Lacking depth on the defensive line last season, the Eagles re-signed Graham after Week 7.
Graham put to rest on Tuesday any question whether he would return to the Eagles in 2026.
“But let me tell you this, [the Eagles] are in great hands,” Graham said. “Jordan Davis, I’m telling you, he is a guy that’s going to get the defense going. On offense, I can’t wait for Jalen [Hurts] to prove them haters wrong as always and get us back to the promised land.”
“I’m going to still be around,” he later added. “I’m still around. I’m still giving wisdom, helping the guys.”
When Graham called it quits the first time, The Inquirer put together a list of his best moments on and off the field. Just like Graham did for the Eagles, we are running it back with another list of No. 55’s most memorable moments:
His tearful goodbye
When Graham announced his retirement in 2025, the Eagles all-time leader in games played took to the podium to say his goodbyes. Just as Jason Kelce did a year prior, Graham fought through tears to thank his coaches, teammates, and the city.
“And finally, to Philadelphia,” Graham said. “We didn’t start so tight. As you know, you made me work for this, and I appreciate you for that. Through the struggles, the injuries, and the moment where I had to prove myself over and over again, you never let me get comfortable.
“You held me accountable. You kept that chip on my shoulder. You pushed me to be better, and when the time came, we celebrated together two times. This city is built on hard work, resilience and unmatched passion, and you bring the same energy to every game, every moment, every season.”
Old friends Brandon Graham and Tom Brady 😅
— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026
SFvsPHI – 4:30pm ET on FOX/FOX One
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The strip sack
Two photographs from Super Bowl LII are hanging in virtually every sports bar in Philadelphia: Nick Foles catching a touchdown on the “Philly Special” and Graham’s strip sack on Tom Brady.
The latter helped clinch the Eagles’ first Super Bowl in franchise history, cementing Graham as an all-time great. When asked about the play in 2023, Graham said it “changed my life.” Like many Eagles fans, Graham admitted he watches the play to cheer him up when he’s having a “bad day.”
Prior to the Eagles’ 23-19 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card round of the playoffs last season, Graham reunited on the field with Brady, who was in town for Fox’s broadcast of the game.
Winning the Mason Spencer ‘Man of the Year Award’
In December of 2019, Mason Spencer received a kidney transplant at just 3 years old. Following his operation, Spencer met with Graham four times. The two quickly formed a friendship.
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“I consider BG my friend,” he said. “The reason I’m awarding this to him is for his kindness and his charity.”
In 2025, after Graham missed out on the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which honors players for their philanthropy and community impact, Spencer awarded him with the “Mason Spencer Man of the Year Award” — fit with a custom “superhero” trophy.
The award’s significance was not lost on Graham.
“I’m glad that I can be a service to him and his family,” Graham told the Inquirer. “Especially during a time nobody wants to go through. It’s a beautiful thing when you have support behind you and you have people that’s fighting with you. So for him to go through everything he had to go through, it’s so cool that he can still think about others.
Learning a new position
After unretiring in 2025, Graham expected to contribute as an edge rusher — as he had through his first 15 years in the league. However, with Jalen Carter sidelined for multiple weeks following a shoulder procedure, Graham was tasked with taking consistent snaps at defensive tackle for the first time in his career.
The longtime veteran was game for the challenge, learning from Davis — who is 12 years younger than him.
“When I’m watching him, man, I’m learning as I’m going,” Graham told the Inquirer. “Because they’re the ones running everything over there. They know what’s going on. So I’m just picking their brain and just asking them what they think when I go.“
Added defensive tackle Moro Ojomo: “It’d be similar to maybe someone writing with their right hand and then starting to write with their left hand. It’s not as easy as you may think it is. There are similarities, but it takes some time and definitely, if anyone can do it the way he’s doing it, it would be him.”
Re-tearing his triceps during the Super Bowl
In a November win against the Rams in 2024, Graham tore his triceps. He had already announced that the season would be his last, so it appeared Graham’s playing career would end at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles.
However, the Graham was able to make a surprise comeback to suit up for Super Bowl LIX just 11 weeks later.
Following the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, Graham celebrated in the locker room. He embraced general manager Howie Roseman, who drafted him in 2010, took a selfie with Hurts, and danced with fellow Detroit native Avonte Maddox. He also made sure to FaceTime fellow team legend Jason Peters.
To any onlooker, it would be difficult to tell that Graham was dealing with significant pain. During the game, Graham actually re-tore his triceps.
The Eagles’ regular season roster is set – for now. How ready is the team for the new year, and will the talent be enough for the Eagles to get back to Super Bowl contention? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Mike Sielski examine general manager Howie Roseman’s final roster decisions in the aftermath of cutdown day. Listen here.
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