Months ago, Brandon Graham was riding through the streets of Philadelphia on a Super Bowl champions bus, celebrating the team's second Lombardi Trophy.
Then, Graham went out on top in March and retired from football after 15 seasons with the Eagles. He's now enjoying retirement with his family, but staying busy with business ventures like Crooked Tea, an iced tea hard seltzer that he partnered with in May.
While Graham and his signature trash talk won't be playing for the Birds, he'll be watching. He might be biased, but he believes his former team has the chance to win the whole thing again.
"I really do feel like they going back again," Graham said on the latest episode of "Gallen of Questions," which airs on PHILLY57 and CBS News Philadelphia on Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Why Brandon Graham believes Eagles could repeat as Super Bowl champs
The Eagles lost some key pieces in the offseason, but they still have their core intact, which makes them well-suited to make a deep playoff run as defending Super Bowl champs.
Along with the talent, Graham believes the team's leadership and strong personalities like quarterback Jalen Hurts, right tackle Lane Johnson and wide receiver A.J. Brown will help the team battle adversity off the field.
"You got people that will address something if it really needs to be addressed," Graham said. "And that's what you really want with a team. In our business, you've got to address stuff or it'll show up on you at the wrong time. And I feel like we got that. We got guys that, if coach don't want to say it, we going to say it."
Graham didn't name it specifically, but he was front and center of the drama that unfolded inside Philadelphia's locker room last season between Hurts and Brown.
Last December, Graham went on his radio show on SportsRadio 94WIP and alleged that Hurts and Brown's relationship had soured. His comments came after Hurts and Philadelphia's passing game struggled in a win over the Carolina Panthers, where Brown and fellow wideout DeVonta Smith voiced their frustrations.
Graham later apologized, and Brown and Hurts each said afterwards that the two were good and downplayed the two-time Super Bowl champs' comments.
"We got to address things that pop up in the season," Graham said. "That happened this year and we addressed it and we moved on. And we stayed focused on what the goal was, but you got to make sure they have the leaders in that room, which I know they do. Why it can't be them to do it again? That's how I feel."
Philadelphia Eagles' Brandon Graham retires after 15 seasons | Full press conference 35:40
When the Eagles won their first Super Bowl in the 2017 season, the team fell short in the 2018 season. They went 9-7 and were knocked out of the divisional round of the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints.
After winning the big game, there are plenty of distractions entering the next year that can turn into a Super Bowl hangover, but Graham said he doesn't see that in this Eagles team entering the 2025 season.
"I already love how coach [Nick] Sirianni is talking about perfume, where it smells great, but don't drink it, it's poison," Graham said. "And winning? We won the Super Bowl, it's great. But to think that you're going to do it again without working like you did, that's a poisonous mindset. I love where he went with it, and I think they'll do good with that message."
What makes Jalen Hurts tick?
In Graham's 15 years with the Eagles, Hurts was his teammate for his final five seasons as he ascended into the franchise quarterback.
Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 9: Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts #1 celebrate after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images
Hurts, who is known for having a huge chip on his shoulder after he battled plenty of adversity in college, went from the backup to the starter and eventually the Super Bowl MVP in those five years — and Graham was there to witness it all.
So what makes Hurts tick?
"He lock in, he really do lock in," Graham said. "And I got much respect for that behind closed doors, nobody would know because everybody don't get to see that. Just keep on talking about what you see on the field and I keep hiding what I'm doing, so that what I'm doing will show up on the field and hopefully it change you'll outlook of what you're seeing. I think that's him in a nutshell right there, just somebody that's consistent on his work."
Tom Ignudo
Tom Ignudo is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Before he joined CBS Philadelphia in 2021, Tom covered high school and college sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He covers breaking news, sports and more.