NEW ORLEANS — Brandon Graham thought he was done. At least for the season, if not his career.

The Philadelphia Eagles defensive end tore his triceps Nov. 24 in Los Angeles against the Rams, and was subsequently put on injured reserve. It’s an injury that typically puts a player out for the rest of the season. But Graham is no typical player, and the Super Bowl is no typical game.

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He said Monday during Super Bowl LIX’s opening night that he has a chance to play this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I’m feeling good right now,” he told the media. “Practice starts on Wednesday and then if we’re a go every day, then we’ll see. The first two days last week I practiced went really good. I just have to make sure I keep stacking the days.”

The 15-year veteran had planned to retire after this 2024-25 season. And right after the injury, he figured his season was done. He said he’d still be there for his teammates, but “as a player, I’m out for the year.”

Those retirement plans may have changed after appearing in only 11 games this year, 12 if he gets into the Super Bowl, but he’s got to get through this week before making that decision. He’s played his entire career with Philadelphia, winning the Super Bowl in 2017-18, and falling to these Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago. Graham was arguably the team’s best pass rusher at the time he went down, having recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks. That sack total ranks fifth on the team for the season, and prior to leaving the Nov. 24 game, he moved into third on the Eagles all-time sacks list with 76.5.

Brandon Graham just moved into 3rd place on the Eagles' all-time sacks list (76.5) 😤@brandongraham55 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TDg5bI0NC3

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 25, 2024

Graham expressed his gratitude to the Lord for being healthy enough to have a chance to play Sunday.

“For Him to give me this opportunity on the biggest stage, and then to feel good on something where people thought that I was done — even myself at one point, until somebody was like, ‘You could do it if you wanted to,'” Graham told the media. “I just started grinding, I started working, making sure I had everything else, outside of what was hurt, strong. I started trusting in my team and the people I was working with and we went for it. We’re still going right now. I’m just excited to be up here and have this opportunity.”

Not only a leader and captain on the field, Graham has long been a spiritual leader for the Eagles as well. Ted Winsley, the team’s chaplain, said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast this week that he met “BG” in the team’s Bible study during his rookie year.

“He had some things going on in his life early on and then he had the injuries, then they started to say the ‘B’ word — ‘bust’ — concerning his career,” Winsley said, referring to a torn ACL toward the end of Graham’s rookie season in 2010 that kept him out most of 2011 as well. “That was probably in his first three years when he got radically saved and really committed his heart to God. And I believe that enabled him to weather the storms.

“He and I laugh about it now because the first five years of his career — where he didn’t really play a lot [he didn’t become a regular starter until 2015], he was injured and they were about to call him a bust — actually preserved his career and it’s why his body has been able to be preserved for 15 years. So it’s been amazing to see his full maturation, his full growth, and then now watching him begin to hand the baton off.”

One of the guys Graham pours into is Nakobe Dean, who was injured in the Eagles’ first-round playoff win over Green Bay. Dean, a starting linebacker, will miss the Super Bowl, but knows any guidance coming from Graham comes from experience.

Graham has seen God work throughout the team this season in the players’ “togetherness.” He estimates nearly half of his teammates are believers.

“Being able to have those open conversations or sometimes in private, like, ‘Man, can you pray for me on this?'” Graham told Sports Spectrum. “Seeing people who were showing up to Bible study, all that stuff. Sometimes, some teams, you might not see but three or four [in Bible study], and sometimes you see half the team and it’s like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Everybody grows at different times but this year I felt like we got majority of believers on this team, and people are not scared to be open with their faith.

“That’s go great, because that’s all He wants. He wants the glory for it all so He can make sure you’re good. I’m thankful to be a part of this team and we only got another week together.”

His time on the Eagles and in the NFL may soon be coming to a close, but Graham knows his eternal destination is secure. As he lives for Christ in this world, he hopes to inspire others — including his two young children, with whom he daily reads the Bible and prays.

“I’ve been in the Book of Ecclesiastes a whole lot, and it’s like, ‘Man, nothing matters other than serving God because all this, it goes away,'” he told the media Monday night. “When you’re standing in front of Him, when that time do come, it’s what you’ve done with what He gave you. I know for me, man, that’s where I’m at. And I’ve grown to that. Everybody grow at different times,

“… I’ve grown to this place in my life and I’m hoping to inspire others as we go, because we’re all trying to get to that salvation. It’s good, it’s free, it’s free for us. I’m just thankful to be here right now and doing His work.”

Kickoff for Super Bowl LIX from New Orleans is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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