ScottF

Very interesting points made in regards to Graham's future contract:

The reason the Saints list Jimmy Graham as a Tight End and not a Wide Receiver is easy. He's set to be a free agency in 2014 and they will likely apply the Franchise tag. This year, a WR franchise tag would pay him about $10.54 million, but a TE franchise tag is worth $6.07 million. Jared Cook's agents tried to get the Titans to use the WR tag on him. 



Intriguing! ESPN Stats & Info sent me some fascinating numbers on this one. Through 12 weeks, Graham has played 486 offensive snaps — 317 pass routes and 169 other snaps (either pass or run blocking). So let's split up his receiving stats into these three categories: lined up on the line as a TE, in the slot, or on the outside as a WR. Here are the numbers …

On line as TE: 63 routes, 21 targets, 13 catches, 314 yards, 4 TDs
Slot receiver: 158 routes, 49 targets, 34 catches, 423 yards, 4 TDs
Wide outside: 96 routes, 26 targets, 18 catches, 209 yards, 3 TDs

So he has run 80 percent of his pass routes as a slot guy or receiver. Wait, it gets better. Forty-one tight ends have run more routes on the line than Graham, including such luminaries as Jeron Mastrud (71), Allen Reisner (70) and Vance McDonald (70). Graham's 13 catches lined up on the line as a tight end are 23rd in the league. Graham has 632 yards from the slot or split wide, 49 more than any other TE. Graham's 52 catches from the slot or split wide are tied with Tony Gonzalez for most among TEs. And Graham's 75 targets from the slot or split wide are second in the league (Gonzalez, 77).
So you tell me … is Jimmy Graham really a tight end?

Bill Simmons's mailbag and Week 13 in the NFL - Grantland

foreverfan

If Payton says he is. End of story.

saintsfan403

Who knows how this negotiation will go down. Certainly not this idiot.

Exxcalibur

Just pay the man.

QBREES9

Pay Da Man, man

TheOak

Need to be careful with this TE/WR only for tag reasons.

Jimmy is a Tight End. If he or his player rep had any issue with his classification it's a little late to start complaining now since he accepted records as a Tight End. You can't allow your name to be put in the record books as a TE, them want to be franchised as a WR. If you tag him as a WR, it will also have HoF implications in the future.

How he lines up and what he does is fairly moot, his role is TE. PT is #2 in receptions, should he be listed as a WR?

Jack Vegas

They will probably split the difference between the WR and TE franchise value and make his contract somewhere around the middle. That is what the Packers were going to do with Finley until they signed a two-year deal. Graham is essentially a hybrid TE-WR anyway so why not pay him as such.

QBREES9

A deal will get done.

ScottF

I get it and you get it, but I'm guessing Jimmy's agent won't see it that way. Not the first time this has happened, though

My prediction is that he get's tagged and then signed to a bigger deal later. Graham's agent is Sexton, who works at Creative, also the employer of that @$$-hole Condon