Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 946601)

That wasn't HIS mediation. It was the NFLPA using his franchise designation as a legal challenge that they had been looking for as a challengeable situation for several years. It either had to be a TE versus WR or a DE versus a LB and his just happened to be the one that first fit the bill. His character had nothing to do with it at all. At no point did he ever personally claim to be a WR. Not one single time. It was all the NFLPA versus the NFL. He simply sat back and signed a deal as the TE that he always claimed to be as soon as the case was over.

I kept up with the entire case from beginning to end. While some people are into the draft and others into the combine and yet others are into free agency during the off-season, I have always been into the contract side of the NFL business.

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 946601)

That wasn't HIS mediation. It was the NFLPA using his franchise designation as a legal challenge that they had been looking for as a challengeable situation for several years. It either had to be a TE versus WR or a DE versus a LB and his just happened to be the one that first fit the bill. His character had nothing to do with it at all. At no point did he ever personally claim to be a WR. Not one single time. It was all the NFLPA versus the NFL. He simply sat back and signed a deal as the TE that he always claimed to be as soon as the case was over.

I kept up with the entire case from beginning to end. While some people are into the draft and others into the combine and yet others are into free agency during the off-season, I have always been into the contract side of the NFL business.

Originally Posted by SaintGnome (Post 946696)

The point was he quit on us, doesn't really matter who initiated the mediation.

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 946702)

Quit on us? That was 2014, right? He was targeted 125 times and caught 85 passes for a 68% clip that season, the highest catch ratio of his career with 100 or more targets. He scored ten TD's. He had 889 yards receiving, a number he only topped once in the remainder of his career (2016 with 923). I guess I missed where he quit on us. We did quit on him, however, when we traded him the following off-season. Seattle wanted him instead of Kenny Stills in deal.

I do know a lot of people were pissed off about the challenge brought about by the NFLPA blaming it on Graham instead, not that it made any difference.

Whatever, he's a shell of what he was with the Saints.

Originally Posted by SaintGnome (Post 946704)

I guess you did just miss it then. Toward the end of the season after the decision came down, I remember seeing game film of him giving up on routes and obviously not engaged.

Originally Posted by MatthewT (Post 946711)

I made a comment about Jimmy Graham and I think what I wrote confused a couple of people. I said "I would like the Saints to bring back Jimmy Graham if he becomes available, he could be valuable as a 3rd option and as a red zone threat".

What I am talking about is bringing him back as a back up 3rd TE, and mainly use him in the red zone. I would never envision him being anything more than a part time specialty player at this point in his career.

I also found a couple of old articles that could shed some light on how he felt about being tagged as a TE, and the 3rd article is how it could have been interpreted that he may have given up on plays. I don't really recall at this point if he made so called "business decisions" in his final year or not, that is a very long time ago.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/07/02/ji...orleans-saints

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...eaving-saints/

https://www.canalstreetchronicles.co...end-roundtable

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 946708)

What decision are you talking about? The ruling on the franchise designation was on July 2, two months before the season started. I don't remember seeing him giving up on routes. His final three games were pretty decent. He was targeted 26 times and had 17 catches for 194 yards and a TD.

I suppose I could be wrong, but that just doesn't ring a bell for me. Oh, well. Not that it matters anymore.

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido (Post 946702)

Quit on us? That was 2014, right? He was targeted 125 times and caught 85 passes for a 68% clip that season, the highest catch ratio of his career with 100 or more targets. He scored ten TD's. He had 889 yards receiving, a number he only topped once in the remainder of his career (2016 with 923). I guess I missed where he quit on us. We did quit on him, however, when we traded him the following off-season. Seattle wanted him instead of Kenny Stills in deal.

I do know a lot of people were pissed off about the challenge brought about by the NFLPA blaming it on Graham instead, not that it made any difference.

Whatever, he's a shell of what he was with the Saints.

Originally Posted by SaintGnome (Post 946704)

I guess you did just miss it then. Toward the end of the season after the decision came down, I remember seeing game film of him giving up on routes and obviously not engaged.