Brandon Graham said he’ll retire after next season, but will his ‘farewell tour’ be with the Eagles?

TAMPA, Fla. — Brandon Graham made the decision a little bit ago but was saving the announcement, hoping he could deliver the news at a better place than inside a quiet locker room after a season-ending loss.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t be coming off of that,” Graham said Monday after the Eagles were eliminated from the postseason with a stunning 32-9 wild-card loss to the Buccaneers.

Next year will be it for Graham, who said he plans to retire after the 2024 season. The city’s longest-tenured athlete will become a free agent in March and hopes his final season is with the only team he’s known.

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“Next year will be the farewell tour,” said the 35-year-old Graham, who has played 14 seasons since being drafted in 2010. “... If the Eagles want me to do it one more time, I would love to be here for another year because I know we have something special. I’ll be done next year.”

Graham has long been one of the team’s most productive players and prominent voices. So it would be surprising if the Eagles didn’t bring him back for one more run. Graham has played the most games in franchise history, and his 14 seasons are matched only by Chuck Bednarik. He said he has always wanted to play 15 years.

The defensive end’s production this season — 16 tackles and three sacks in 17 games — declined from last year, but he still played at a high enough level to carve a role next season.

“We’re going to be better next year,” Graham said. “I know Howie [Roseman] is already thinking about the offseason and how he can work his magic. I can’t wait to see what he does because I know this organization is going to get it right … I hope this thing is fueling them because it’s fueling me to get back to what we know we can do.”

Graham, Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, and Jason Kelce are the Eagles’ longest-tenured players, but only Johnson remains under contract for 2024. Cox and Kelce declined to comment after Monday’s loss, but Kelce has told teammates he plans to retire. Monday may have been the farewell tour for the team’s “core four.”

“It could be,” Graham said. “But I don’t know what the future holds. I’m hoping we can get one more and get this bad taste out of our mouth. Man, it [stunk] to go out this way, but it’s all good.”

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The Eagles defense allowed 119 rushing yards and let Tampa Bay convert six of its 14 third downs. The Bucs scored on their first four drives and did not punt until after the two-minute warning of the first half. The Eagles ended the season allowing at least 100 yards on the ground in their final nine games after allowing just one team to rush for 100 yards in their first nine games.

“The last month and a half is what that was,” Graham said. “Everything that was happening all last month happened in a big way in this game. Missed tackles, we can’t do that.”

Graham said this season — which ended with losses in six of the Eagles’ final seven games — tested his leadership. The Birds were in first place at Thanksgiving and favorites to repeat as NFC champions. By Christmas, the division no longer felt secure. By the new year, coach Nick Sirianni’s job security was uncertain. It was an epic collapse, the Eagles’ version of 1964.

“It was one of the hardest years for me as a captain,” Graham said. “But it was a great year, too. It tested my character. It’s been good the last four or five years, but this year, we all wish we could have some plays back. But that’s not in the real world. I just know this team built some character going through these tough times and it’ll help us for next year.”

A year ago, Graham finished his season in the Super Bowl after returning from a torn Achilles tendon. The loss to Kansas City was tough, but the season was still something to cling to. Monday night’s finish was brutal, a blowout loss to end a once-promising season that was derailed.

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It’s going to be difficult, Graham said, to watch on TV as the postseason rolls on without them. After one more season, the view from TV will be something for Graham to get used to.

“It wasn’t our time,” Graham said. “I’m OK with that. Life is going to happen, and stuff isn’t going to go the way you want it to go. But it’s what you do with it. I know this is going to make us better. It hurts right now, but it’s supposed to hurt for everybody.”