Brandon Graham back to practice; holding out or nah?
16 May 2017 Eagles News
If you listened through the grapevine, you might have thought that Brandon Graham was an unhappy camper and about to be a training camp holdout.
Either way, your starting defensive end, Brandon Graham, just showed up for practice today. Over the last week, there were different reports swirling about, that Graham was unhappy with his deal and a holdout was on its way. Philly.com’s Jeff Mclane was the first to report the story, with CBS Sport’s Jason LaCanfora refuting the whole idea of it.
Reports of Brandon Graham contract dispute are unsubstantiated. Am told he’s with his family in Detroit and eager for the season to start
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 10, 2017
In Brandon Graham’s defense, he’s played 8 years for our beloved Philadelphia Eagles. BG has been nothing but a loyal citizen to the organization, survived a switch to the 3-4, rebounded back from an early injury that almost derailed his career, and probably blocked you on Twitter.
Does Brandon Graham have a right to want more money?
The late bloomer has been one of the Eagles’ best defensive weapons across the front line, but his 59 tackles and 5.5 sacks on his 2016 resume might not excite the masses. However, his 83 hurries is something that may go unnoticed when you talk numbers with “stat guys.” Although we would love more sacks from BG, his QB pressures are highly welcomed in my neighborhood.
Below you’ll find the kind of pressures BG dials up each game; getting QBs off their mark is something Graham does quite well.
Now calling witnesses Dak Prescott and Sammy Sleeves to the stand…
Looking at the money
The 29-year-old Graham signed a four-year, $26 million dollar deal in 2015, and will make $6.5 million in 2017 and 2018. The main thing you must know is that your best defensive end’s base salary is $500,000 less than Vinny Curry for this season. #FreeVinnyCurry season 2 is costing the Eagles $7 million for this season, which makes him the seventh highest base salary in the NFL at defensive end. To put the this into perspective, Houston Texans JJ Watt’s base salary this year is $10.5 million.
(via over the cap)
The Holdout
Right now, the positive is that Brandon Graham is in the building, whether he’s playing nice and keeping it in house is another thing. What you like from BG is that he’s in the building and trying to make it work. They could be in talks as we speak, we basically have no idea. My thought is, he may play nice for now and choose to hold out down the road, depending on how everything plays out, but he has every reason to ask for a raise and holdout to get extra dollars. The Eagles also have a back up plan in place with veteran DE Chris Long now in house and rookie Derek Barnett now in the fold now. Buckle up folks this could get interesting.
Photo Credit:(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Gayle Saunders Brandon Graham, Chris Long, Derek Barnett, Phialdelphia Eagles, Vinny Curry