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Jimmy's contract needs to be hammared out and ready to go at the end of the year. JMO

Quote:

Originally Posted by x626xBlack (Post 419134)

Jimmy Graham present contract
Jimmy Graham Tight End7/28/2010: Signed a four-year, $2.455 million contract. The deal included a $665,140 signing bonus. 2012: $540,000, 2013: $575,000, 2014: Free Agent

My thoughts on what will happen if Jimmy keeps playing to his potential.
In 2014 Brees cap hit will be 18.4 then explodes after that due to expected TV deals, Brees is cap friendly until 2015.

Either Jimmy is offered a new contract next year to squeak the bulk into a salary cap friendly year, or he is franchise tagged in 2014. The FT for 2012 was $5.4 mil.... Next Years TE FT will be around $7.175M

Reports that Rob Gronkowski being the highest paid TE in hostory are wrong... He is 5th of the top 5.
Jason Witten, Dallas: $7.4 million/yr, $18.5 million guaranteed
Vernon Davis, San Francisco: $7.35 million/yr, $23 million guaranteed
Antonio Gates, San Diego: $7.235 million, $20.4 million guaranteed
Jermichael Finley, Green Bay: $7 million, $1 million guaranteed
Rob Gronkowski, New England: $6.9 million, $18 million guaranteed
Rob Gronkowski breaks mold with Patriots extension - NFL.com

These 5 are all so close- getting tagged won't be much different from the contract we will offer anyway, unless Graham decides to hire Condon

Other than JG, no way we use the tag on anyone else next year: Bushrod, Ellis are not top 5 players. Maybe Morstead?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottF (Post 419227)

Not next year... Tag couldn't be used on Jimmy till 2014. Depending on when the other 4's new contracts come up it could raise the FT a little.

Next year will actually be pretty easy as far as Saints' FAs are concerned as there really aren't any absolute must haves on that list - well maybe Morstead, but I'm not willing to risk another thread debating his worth. ;-)

Bushrod should be gone after this season as he'll probably want a bigger contract than the Saints are willing to give him - or should - because that O-line Kromer has implemented is highly guard driven and Bushrod can be replaced.

Galette, McBride and Casillas are all potential re-signings, but as was already said by others - the jury is still out on those guys and the coming season's performances will probably determine their future.

De La Puente might return if he plays as well as he did this past season and Drescher hasn't made any mistakes with the long snaps, so he'll probably be back as he won't be looking for a big contract anyway.

Amaya, Hall, Higgins and Tanner are all intriguing young players who might just get a new contract if they are able to play to their potential. I'm more of a fan of Hall than most here seem to be, because he has been a ST standout, which he was also with the Packers before that and why McMahon wanted him in the black & gold. While having two FBs on the 53 man roster isn't really ideal, Hall doesn't really play FB, but is a special team stud, who the coaches seem to like and want in their line-up.

The Saints might need to use their 1st rounder on a LT in next year's draft or then again they might find another "diamond in the rough" from the Big 12 North. Lets just hope that Marcel Jones is coachable enough to become the starting RT in 2013 dropping Strief to be a backup, because that right side of the line has been in trouble and without the stellar play of Evans it would've been a disaster on many occasions.

Quote:

Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive tackle Marcel Jones is a tall prospect who could possibly develop into a left tackle after some development. In the immediate future, Jones would fit nicely on the right side. He lacks ideal strength and will need time to blossom into the position. That said, all the potential is there for him to become a starter-level player in the NFL.

Marcel Jones Scouting Report

Quote:

Originally Posted by SapperSaint (Post 419213)

Jimmy's contract needs to be hammared out and ready to go at the end of the year. JMO

Look, if we can survive the HUGE Drew Brees signing (BTW MANY NFL teams WOULD have dropped the ball on that) then Jimmy's deal will get DONE.

I also think the Brees deal sends a message to the Football World that the Saints DO BUSINESS and make deals happen.

Great for free-agency. It's why we attract players like Lofton.