Brandon Graham is the Eagles’ 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, his second nod in three years
Brandon Graham was previously nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2022. Three Eagles have won the award since its inception.
For the second time in three years, longtime Eagles captain Brandon Graham is the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Graham, 36, the longest-tenured player in team the team’s history, was nominated in 2022 for the award, a yearly honor given to a player recognizing his commitment to philanthropy and impact in the community. The defensive end, who is out for the remainder of the season, was told that he was this year’s nominee before his triceps injury occurred two weeks ago in Los Angeles.
Graham’s philanthropic efforts have roots in his hometown of Detroit and also in his second home of Philadelphia, where he has spent his entire 15-season NFL career after being selected 13th overall in the 2010 NFL draft.
Along with his wife, Carlyne, the Grahams operate the Team Graham Fund, which offers resources to various organizations and causes in the Detroit area. Team Graham’s efforts include mentoring young adults and distributing clothes and food to people in need.
In Philadelphia, Graham has been active with the Eagles Radiothon and the team’s Autism Foundation. He sits on the board of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education nonprofit and has volunteered with March of Dimes, Make-A-Wish, Ronald McDonald House, American Heart Association, and Liberty USO.
Through some of those appearances, Graham has established relationships with various families in the area, and some of them were there in 2022 when the Eagles surprised Graham with the news of his first nomination.
» READ MORE: From 2022: Brandon Graham’s impact off the field is best described by those whose lives he’s touched
“I just do stuff because I know all the little things make a difference,” Graham said after being nominated in 2022. “I’m just me. This kind of just stumbled across my desk really.”
Graham’s future with the team he helped win the 2017 Super Bowl is in question. This season was supposed to be a farewell tour for the edge rusher, but Graham was playing better and more frequently than he expected, and he seemed open to the idea of playing into 2025. But then came his season-ending injury during the Eagles’ Week 12 win in Los Angeles. Graham was on the sideline for the team’s win in Baltimore on Sunday and had surgery this week.
A decision on his football-playing future will wait.
The 32 nominees for the Walter Payton award will receive up to a $55,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which is given out the week of the Super Bowl, will receive up to a $265,000 donation to the charity of their choice.
Three Eagles have won the award: Harold Carmichael in 1980; Troy Vincent in 2002; and Chris Long in 2018.