Brandon Graham is off the field following the Eagles’ victory over the Bengals in Cincinnati on October 27, 2024.

The Eagles announced on Thursday morning that Brandon Graham is their nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The veteran pass rusher has been nominated for the award for the second time in three years, having also received the accolade in 2022. The award recognizes a player’s achievements in the game, but more significantly, their dedication to the community beyond it.

As a 15-year veteran, Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion, Graham has accomplished about all that is possible for a player in Philadelphia on the football, while also striving to make a significant difference off the field.

The Team Graham Fund supports different charities in his hometown of Detroit, while in Philadelphia, he has been a leader in numerous Eagles charity activities, including the Eagles Autism Foundation.

Graham also joined the board of directors for Ed Snider youngsters Hockey & Education, a charity formed by the late Flyers owner to serve the city’s youngsters through the sport. Graham had prepared unique Snider Hockey cleats for the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats program prior to his season-ending triceps rupture that incapacitated him.

Still, he had another bespoke set of Snider shoes done up and offered to stick around with the squad and help out in any way he could for as far as this current Eagles season goes.

“He’s probably the best leader I’ve been around, just not only in how he plays but how he mentors the young guys on and off the field,” said veteran colleague Lane Johnson when word emerged of Graham’s injuries. “He’s kind of like a father figure to all these guys, and the guy that I think his story just screams perseverance and resiliency, just with everything he’s overcome.”

“For me, just to be able to help the city, because I know how much they look up to the team, you just want to make sure that you’re going about things the right way,” Graham stated via the Eagles’ website. “I feel like we always have wonderful people on this squad to help remind you that it’s not just about myself. That’s what makes it so much greater. When you’re in this enormous position, you still worry about the others that are trying to make their way too.”

And that’s stuck for Graham, be it within the Eagles’ locker room or anywhere he travels outside of it.