Brandon Graham retired from the NFL on Tuesday after 15 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he doesn’t want to go “cold turkey” and stop being involved with football.
So what’s next for the two-time Super Bowl champion and Birds legend? Well, he wants to be involved with the Eagles in some capacity.
“I said I want to sit down with and talk with [Eagles owner Jeffrey] Lurie and have some dinner with him,” Graham said. “We’re going to do that and figure out what I can do to be a part of what’s going on because I feel like, as you know, we got some good stuff brewing right now and I want to make sure be a help with whatever it is I do.”
Maybe Graham will join the team as a special assistant or consultant on the coaching staff after his retirement. Time will tell, but the Eagles have brought former players into the organization after retiring from the NFL.
Connor Barwin, who played with the Eagles from 2013-16, joined the organization in 2020 as a special assistant to the general manager. He’s now the head of football development and strategy.
Graham said one thing he’ll miss doing is his signature trash-talking, especially against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, but that won’t stop completely. Graham said he would still be trash-talking players during practice and will even tell former teammate Nolan Smith what to say if he joins the team in a different role.
“I’m going to be a part of something that they got going where I can come in,” Graham said. “Even If I’m just coming to practice and doing something to help [defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn], doing something. I’m always going to tell the O-linemen what I would’ve did if I was out there.”
While Graham will be stepping off the field after 15 years in the NFL, one thing that won’t change is his work in the community.
Graham, a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee, has done plenty of charity work through the Team Graham Fund, his foundation, and the Eagles Autism Foundation.
“Now it’s going to turn up even more, me being in the community,” Graham said. “Because now I got some free time and I want to make sure I spend it the right way. Community service is always going to be a part of our family because I want my kids to know that this stuff doesn’t happen by yourself.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
