Brandon Graham - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Amend Brandon Graham’s Deal

August 9th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is underpaid relative to his production, he elected not to hold out this year. Now, the Eagles have given him an opportunity to rake in more money on his current deal, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Graham, who’s halfway through the four-year, $26.5MM contract he signed with the Eagles in 2015, will have a chance to earn $1.5MM in incentives over the next two seasons.

On top of his $6.5MM base salary this year, Graham will make $250K if he tallies more than seven but fewer than nine sacks. Exceeding nine sacks would mean an additional $250K for Graham. However, even if Graham totals fewer than nine sacks, he’ll pile up $250K with either a Pro Bowl trip on the original ballot or first- or second-team All-Pro honors.

Graham went second-team All-Pro last season, but it’s worth noting that the 29-year-old has never hit the seven-sack mark in an individual campaign. His personal best (6.5) came in 2015. But getting to seven or eight sacks in 2017 would increase his $6.5MM base salary for 2018 by $250K, while nine to 11 would bump it up by $500K. Twelve or more, which could be especially unrealistic for a player who combined for that many from 2015-16, would give him a $750K raise. A Pro Bowl nod shouldn’t be out of reach, however, and earning a trip this season would up Graham’s ’18 salary by $250K.

A seven-year veteran, Graham is fresh off the first 16-start campaign of his career, and while his traditional numbers were solid in 2016 and in the preceding years, he has stood out more in the eyes of the advanced stats crowd. Graham ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best edge defender among 110 qualifiers last year, and the outlet has typically assigned him excellent grades.

Eagles’ Brandon Graham: I Won’t Hold Out

May 16th, 2017 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham reported to the Eagles’ facility amidst rumblings that he was considering some type of holdout. Moments ago, he took to Twitter to further clear the air.

“[I’m] back in Philly and I just wanted to clear up a few things for all of our fans. I was never holding out. I was in Detroit last week spending some time with my family. I love playing in Philly, I love our fans and I love this organization. I’ve never had an issue with my contract. I don’t know where that news came from. I will be here at OTAs leading the charge and ready to get things started,” Graham wrote.

That’s about as firm of a denial as you can get and it comes on the heels of him telling a Philadelphia sports radio host that word of a holdout was “fake news.” As I explained earlier today, Graham’s deal is a heck of a bargain for the Eagles given the way he has played over the last two years, but he has made it clear that he will not stay away from practices this summer in an effort to pressure the team into giving him a new deal.

Graham’s current contract calls for him to carry a $7.5MM cap number in each of the next two seasons.

Brandon Graham Reports To Eagles

May 16th, 2017 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

It doesn’t sound like Brandon Graham is planning a holdout this offseason. The Eagles defensive end reported to the team facility this morning, as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. He also spoke with Howard Eskin of 94WIP on Tuesday and referred to rumors of a holdout as “fake news.”

Graham is in the middle of a four-year, $26MM contract signed with the Eagles in 2015. In the last two years and particularly in 2016, he has outperformed his deal. Graham would probably like to be paid near the top of the DE market, but he doesn’t have a ton of leverage in that regard since he still has two years to go on his pact. A holdout, in theory, could put some pressure on the team, but the 29-year-old seems prepared to play out 2017 with a cap number of $7.5MM.

As Shorr-Parks notes, the additions of first round pick Derek Barnett and free agent Chris Long could impact Graham’s stat line which, in turn, could impact his bottom line. The advanced metrics portrayed Graham as one of the best edge defenders in the entire league last season, but he only had 5.5 sacks on the year. If his snap count goes down, his sack total might also sag. Without gaudy totals on his traditional stat sheet, he might not have enough juice to get a big extension next offseason.

Extra Points: Beane, Lions, Eagles, Saints

May 12th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As reports indicated earlier this week, new Bills GM Brandon Beane will indeed have control over the 53-man roster. Terry Pegula confirmed as much Friday. “Brandon’s gonna have the 53,” the owner said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Him and Sean (McDermott) will obviously collaborate on any decisions.” The 39-year-old first-time GM, though, plans to work extensively alongside McDermott, with whom he obviously functioned alongside with the Panthers.

“It’s going to be similar to what Sean and I had in Carolina. There’s no czar here, every decision is going to be collaborative,” Beane said, via WGRZ.com. “The unique thing Sean and I had was a respect, I knew his roots and how he worked his way up.”

Beane and McDermott have worked together since 2011, save for a near-four-month period when McDermott took the Bills job and Beane stayed in Charlotte. The former Panthers assistant GM will still have the final say, even though the new Bills HC arrived in Buffalo first.

Here’s more from Buffalo and the latest from around the league.

A slew of Bills free agency moves shouldn’t be expected, Beane said today, per Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). In a statement not exactly contrary to most new GMs’ philosophies, Beane plans to build the Bills through the draft (Twitter link, via Buscaglia).
The Lions announced a handful of new titles in their front office following Brian Xanders‘ departure. Among them: Kyle O’Brien now has the title of Vice President of Player Personnel and Lance Newmark is now Director of Player Personnel (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).
Doug Pederson isn’t worried about a potential holdout from Brandon Graham, the Eagles coach said today, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (on Twitter). A report earlier this week linked the burgeoning-star edge defender to a holdout. Graham is signed to a four-year deal worth $26.5MM. He’s set to carry cap numbers of $7.5MM apiece in 2017 and ’18. The 29-year-old ranked as the No. 2 overall edge defender in the opinion of Pro Football Focus last season. Among 4-3 defensive ends, Graham’s deal places him just 16th in terms of average annual value. Less accomplished teammate Vinny Curry is making nearly $3MM per year more than Graham due to his 2016 extension.
The Saints invited some familiar names to their rookie minicamp/tryout venue today. Former Jets, Bills and Falcons passer Matt Simms received an invite, as did former Raiders and Buccaneers wideout Louis Murphy and veteran tight end Clay Harbor (all Twitter links via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). Murphy spent the past two seasons with the Bucs but saw injuries limit him to just six games.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Eagles’ Brandon Graham Planning Holdout?

May 10th, 2017 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is expected to skip organized team activities later this month and might even abstain from mandatory minicamp in June unless the Eagles renegotiate his contract, two NFL sources tell Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that there is no contract dispute between Graham and the team.

Graham, 29, is midway through a four-year, $26MM deal signed with Philly in 2015. He’s scheduled to carry cap numbers of $7.5MM in each of the next two seasons, but he apparently wants more dollars and/or more years. As it stands, the Eagles would only have to carry $1MM in dead money if they were to release him after the 2017 season, so he’s likely looking for some form of increased security.

Last year, Graham finished out with 5.5 sacks, but he had a much better season than the standard numbers would suggest. Pro Football Focus rated Graham as the No. 2 edge defender in the NFL last season with a stellar 93.3 overall score and he was edged only by Raiders star Khalil Mack. In the two years prior, PFF cast him as a top 15 or 20 edge rusher in the league, so Graham has a history of producing at a high level. Still, with two years to go on his current deal, he won’t have a ton of leverage in talks unless he stays away from the team this summer.

Giants Notes: Graham, McAdoo, Free Agents

November 5th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Ben Levine

During the 2015 offseason, defensive end Brandon Graham received interest from the Giants. As the 28-year-old Eagles lineman prepares to play New York this weekend, he understands that he made the correct decision to stick with the team that drafted him.

“It was real,” Graham said of the Giants interest (via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com). “I wasn’t that close. I wanted the Eagles here to get it right, as far as keeping me here. Obviously I made the right decision. I couldn’t be cool with myself going somewhere where I play the Eagles twice a year. I would have had to go outside the division.”

Graham ultimately inked a four-year, $26MM contract ($13MM) to remain in Philadelphia, and the former first-rounded has rewarded his team with 25 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles this season.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of MetLife Stadium…

The Giants continue to deny rumors that they had discussions with Alabama’s Nick Saban to become their next head coach. George Willis of The New York Post believes we still haven’t seen enough from Ben McAdoo to determine whether he’s the right man for the job. However, if the Giants continue to collect losses, the writer believes the team could revisit their talks with Saban this offseason.
According to Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum, it was Saban’s wife who didn’t want to leave Alabama for the Big Apple. Had his wife decided to make the move to New York, Willis wonders if Saban would currently be coaching the Giants.
NJ.com previews the Giants players who are playing for a new contract. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul leads the list, and he’s joined by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, linebacker Keenan Robinson, right guard John Jerry, linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, and tight end Larry Donnell.

NFC Rumors: Graham, Saints, Orakpo

March 11th, 2015 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters today, Brandon Graham said he felt like there was only ever a “10% chance” that he’d sign with a team besides the Eagles (Twitter link). The Giants and Titans were known to be in the running for the free agent edge defender. More out of the NFC..

The Saints had some concerns about Jimmy Graham’s long-term health, and wanted to fortify their offensive line to keep Drew Brees upright, which resulted in their willingness to send the star tight end to the Seahawks, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Brian Orakpo hasn’t completely closed the door on returning to Washington, but he’s prepared to “face the reality” that he could sign with another team this week, he tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link). Visits with the Titans and Cardinals are up first for the free agent edge defender.
ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter has learned from O’Brien Schofield‘s agent that four teams are trying to sign him, according to Terry Blount of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Schofield, coming off of a solid year with the Seahawks, has been connected to the Falcons thanks to his connection with new head coach Dan Quinn.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Suh, Cobb, Jackson, Graham

March 10th, 2015 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Here’s a round-up of a few notable details on new contracts from around the NFL:

Ndamukong Suh, DT (Dolphins); $60MM guarantee is fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
Randall Cobb, WR (Packers): Four years, $40MM base value. $13MM signing bonus. $3.5MM roster bonus in March 2016, $5.35MM cap hit for 2015 (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
Kareem Jackson, CB (Texans): Four years, $34MM base value. $9MM signing bonus. $4MM roster bonus due this weekend (Twitter link via Corry).
Brandon Graham, OLB (Eagles): Four years, $26MM base value. $4MM signing bonus. $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Cary Williams, CB (Seahawks): Three years, $18MM base value. $3.5MM signing bonus. $7MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Wilson).
Mark Sanchez, QB (Eagles): Two years, $9MM. $2MM signing bonus. $5.5MM guaranteed. Escalators for playing time, playoffs (Twitter link via Wilson).
Ryan Mallett, QB (Texans): Two years, $7MM base value. $1.75MM of $2.5MM 2015 salary guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Brian Hartline, WR (Browns): Two years, $6MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Tyvon Branch, S (Chiefs): One year, $2.1MM base value. $200K signing bonus. $2MM in playing-time, INT, Super Bowl incentives (Twitter links via Wilson).

East Notes: Graham, Ellis, Pouncey, Helu

March 9th, 2015 at 5:28pm CST by Zachary Links

News out of the AFC and NFC East..

The Giants thought they had Brandon Graham before he re-signed with the Eagles, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. He was prepared to make the move to a 4-3 team like the Giants, but he changed his mind and the Eagles found a way to keep him.
Jets free agent defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis is picking up a decent amount of interest and six teams are talking to him, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The Jets want him back but Ellis wants to scan the market first.
A source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter) that the Patriots are one of three teams in on free agent running back Roy Helu.
The Dolphins and Mike Pouncey have yet to discuss an extension/new deal, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Miami has understandably been busy in recent days.
A half a dozen teams are seriously monitoring Chiefs safety Ron Parker and the Giants are among them, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. We learned earlier today that the Dolphins are among the teams with interest in Parker. The Jets also have interest in Parker and he could be on the Eagles’ radar now that they missed on Devin McCourty.

Eagles To Re-Sign Brandon Graham

March 9th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

After some deliberations between offers from the Eagles and Giants, the decision is in. Brandon Graham has decided to remain with the Eagles, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). It’ll be a four-year deal worth $6.5MM per season, according to Tim McManus of 97.5 The Fanatic (on Twitter). In total, the deal gives Graham $14MM guaranteed.

Graham, 27 in April, recorded 5.5 sacks and 46 total tackles in 2014. The former first-round choice has moved around a bit in the front seven over the years, having seen time at defensive tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker. Last season, he played the bulk of his snaps at outside linebacker and enjoyed his best season to date. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed him as the third best OLB in a 3-4 set last season. PFF was also high on Graham in 2013, ranking him as the 15th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

It was said earlier this month that talks between the Eagles and Graham weren’t going so well, but Philly managed to turn things around and retain one of their top free agents. The Eagles carved out some extra room to keep the linebacker when they released Trent Cole earlier this month.

Graham chose a longer contract with the Eagles over the Giants, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (on Twitter).