Eagles great Brandon Graham prepares to become ‘a rookie again’ in life after football
A day after announcing — for a second time — that he is calling it quits, Graham got in depth about his decision to retire via his podcast “Brandon Graham Unblocked." Here are the highlights.
In retirement, Brandon Graham will have to be “a rookie again” to learn about life after football.
A day after announcing — for a second time — that he is calling it quits, Graham talked about his decision to retire on his podcast Brandon Graham Unblocked. Graham, who played 16 NFL seasons, said he met with a sports psychiatrist to make the decision — which he repeatedly emphasized is final.
“Everything is going to be like being a rookie again,” Graham said. “And for me, I started [playing golf], then being at [my] kids’ games, taking care of myself — not feeling guilty of the free time that I do get. [Not] thinking that I got to fill it up because I’m so used to filling my schedule.”
» READ MORE: Ron Jaworski departs NBC Sports Philadelphia ahead of Eagles’ season
“It’s OK to go take a nap,” he added with a laugh. “I mean I never really took naps.”
Graham explained that his sports psychiatrist challenged him to get “uncomfortable” to understand what retirement would look like. Unlike last offseason, when Graham stuck around the Eagles training facility despite announcing his retirement, the franchise’s all-time leader in games played purposely stayed out of the Jefferson Health Training Complex this summer.
Along with conversations with his psychiatrist and his family, Graham also reached out to former teammates. One was former Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who Graham had not seen “for a while.”
» READ MORE: Jason Kelce’s expanded ESPN role and NFL rule changes highlight the latest New Heights podcast
“[Cox] had somebody that he talked with and helped him have a different perspective on where we are right now as athletes,” Graham said. “We had this one thing that we identified with for so long, and trying to make sure that we find the right identity with each other. [We are] really helping each other in this together. That’s been my locker mate, right next to my locker for so long, and it’s like, ‘Why can’t we talk outside of this?’”
“You got the first taste of it because you’ve been out longer than me,” he added. “Tell me what to look for and some stuff that you’ve been through. And that’s the vulnerability that we’re trying to have. That normally you don’t have all the time because us as men, it’s more about ‘be tough, be hard.’ [I am] trying to teach my son, it’s OK to cry.”
Graham explained that when a player retires from the NFL, it’s like the “lights just shut off.” He noted that, “nobody [is] looking for you, ain’t nobody calling [you]” in retirement.
» READ MORE: ‘I was so tired of that question’: Brandon Graham turns his attention from the Eagles to his new media career
Like he did with Cox, Graham has made an effort to keep former teammates in his life. He mentioned longtime NFL defensive end Robert Quinn, who played six games with the Eagles in 2022, as someone he keeps in touch with. Graham knows Quinn is “struggling too” despite acting like he is not.
“Even like a guy like Linval Joseph, somebody like that,” Graham said. “He a funny boy anyway, like he’s going to be alright, but he go through stuff too. And we all lean on each other, and we all talk with each other.”
‘On my Jalen Hurts’
Early in the podcast, Graham’s co-host and PHLY contributor Bo Wulf joked that Graham should have saved his retirement announcement for the podcast.
“I couldn’t save it man, I had to get everybody ready for what we had to talk about today,” Graham responded.
Wulf was not the only one surprised by Graham’s announcement — which came on stage at a “Breakfast with the Birds” event hosted by Jefferson Health. Graham’s wife, Carlyne, was also not expecting the news to drop on Tuesday.
“I heard from my wife, I got an earful on that one,” Graham joked. “Like, ‘boy, you always talking and you doing this?’ I should have been on my Jalen Hurts, not giving too much. And that’s where I say, ‘we all learn, we all make mistakes.’ But I think that was a good mistake.”
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.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
