Brandon Graham wants a new deal. He has made that clear.
But the Eagles defensive end knows if he plays well, the contract will take care of itself.
“I mean you know you always want to be secure, but I’m OK with whatever, because at the end of the day, next week we get that ring,” Graham said, via video from Dave Uram of WFAN 660 and 1010 WINS. “If we didn’t have the team we have, then I would say let’s get secure. But we’ve got a great team to do it again, and I’m hoping to be a part of it, because we’ve got an open window right now to go back to back.
”. . . We’ll get it done. However it goes. I know I’m 30 years old, and I understand it’s a business, too. I’ve got to keep showing them that I’m just going to keep taking it up and go out on my terms.”
Graham is entering the final year of a four-year, $26 million contract he signed in 2015. He will make a base salary of $7 million this season, having outplayed the deal.
He made a career-high 9.5 sacks last season and made a career-defining play in the Super Bowl despite a high-ankle sprain December 25 and a pulled hamstring in the Super Bowl before his strip-sack of Tom Brady.
But Graham turned 30 in April.
“Once you hit 30, it gets funny,” Graham said. “That’s what I’ve seen.
”. . . It’s all about what you want to do, if something makes sense. I know this next deal is going to be potentially my last deal. Hopefully, I get more after that, but you just never know, so I want to make sure that I get it done right so it works for both ways. For me, playing out this year and hopefully getting something done. I think it’ll happen as long as I come back from this ankle injury and look better than I did before, which I’m feeling good about, because everything is going according to plan right now. You will know how they feel as we’re talking.”