After their loss to the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles saw pass rusher Za'Darius Smith suddenly retire. As they look for his replacement, some fans have conjured up a wide range of theories.

Among them is the return of franchise legend Brandon Graham. The defensive end retired in March after a 15-year career with the Eagles. For now, Graham's return seems more like a pipe dream than an actual reality. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brushed off the subject when asked about the defender, via Eliot Shorr-Parks.

Now 37-years-old, Graham may prefer to keep living the retired life. But if he wants to make his return, fellow franchise icon Jason Kelce thinks the Eagles should give him a chance, via SportsRadio 94WIP.

“They've been banged up on the edge, banged up with Nolan Smith. They would benefit from having his physicality and the way he plays defensive end on the field,” Kelce said. “Outside of that, I only want Brandon Graham to play football if he wants to play football. I don't think when he retired he fully wanted to stop playing football.”

“It felt like he got convinced that it was time to hang it up,” he continued. “And I don’t know this, I think at the end of the day if Brandon in his heart wants to come back, I think the Eagles should damn sure give him that opportunity because I think they need that.”

Article Continues Below

Kelce stressed that ultimately, it'll be up to Graham to decide whether or not to lace up his cleats again. However, the former center firmly believes that the defensive end would mightily bolster the Eagles in 2025.

Over his 15-year career, Graham made 487 tackles, 153 quarterback hits and 76.5 sacks. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2020 and won two Super Bowls with the team. His lore in Eagles history is forever stamped.

But maybe he decides to give it one more run. Kelce certainly wants to see it happen. If things get worse on the pass rush following Smith's retirement, maybe the idea of giving Graham a call gets more serious.