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Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanpierre (Post 580327)

Let me spell it out...

If Graham, a Team Trade Partner (i.e. Dolphins), and Saints sit down and agree on a conditional series of actions...

Jimmy signs the franchise tender at 7 mil (Saints Cap Hit) for this season on the condition of...

The new team will sign, extend him with guaranteed money that both have reached on previous agreement...

The cap hit for the Saints will be approximately 7mil (the current TE number)...

Jimmy's rights secured, he's traded for a package other than the two first round draft picks...

Once the new team (i.e. Dolphins) has his rights they're free to extend the contract prior to the NFL deadline in the summer to a mutual satisfactory number that both the new team and Jimmy had agreed...

This scenario has happened and was offered as an optional scenario that could happen...

Motivations?

Saints have a finite, salary committment of 7mil for this year only to move Graham on; are able to get a compensatory package to offset his loss; and begin relieving themselves of committing large salary cap numbers to just a handful of players...

Jimmy has the financial compensation package that is his and his representatives priority...

Dolphins have a college hometown hero, bona-fide NFL star to augment their offense and compete in the AFC East...

As of right now the Saints have zero cap hit commitment for Jimmy Graham, the league has not assigned a position to that tag. He has also not been offered or signed any tender. The Saints have until 15 July to sign him to a long term deal... The draft is 8th of May... You can expect the WR/TE issue to drag out past the draft, look how long Drew's drug out 3rd July.

This NEFT is not a tactic to get draft picks by the Saints, they want to keep Jimmy and I think people are forgetting that. It is a tactic to stall and get Jimmy to agree to the tag, he will be promised his big contract next year "if" he preforms as everyone thinks he will under this tag.

Keep another option in mind. "If" an arbitrator says Jimmy's tag value is that of a WR, the Saints can rescind that Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag effectivly making Jimmy Graham a Free Agent and we can still sit and wait to see if we want to mach and retain Graham, or let him go and get draft picks.

As I see it the NEFT is a redundant form of RFA that designates the draft picks that have to be given... Which no team would do, so its just a stall.

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

I think he gets his deal this year but it will be a nice signing bonus to offset a smaller 2014 cap figure.

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

I was incorrect in my previous post. i just read the CBA, if the Saints rescind the Franchise Tag. Jimmy becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent immediately. Which would give us compensatory picks.

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

Believe the highest compensatory pick is a third round pick, isn't it?!?

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanpierre (Post 580426)

Believe the highest compensatory pick is a third round pick, isn't it?!?

A free 3rd rounder is better value than any combination of two picks +7million dollars in cap pace :):bng:

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

Business season primer: Focus on benchmark deals, Graham situation - CBSSports.com

The Jimmy Graham situation

A couple of weeks back, I said the NFL needs close to 20 franchise tag designations and Jimmy Graham is a perfect example because he is not a traditional tight end. There is no rule stating a tight end must line up next to a tackle to be a tight end. The traditional alignment of a tight end went out the window when Shannon Sharpe was causing fits in the 1990s, followed by Tony Gonzalez.

What you ask a tight end like Graham to do from a slot or wide position can be very different from a wide receiver, though he'll want to be paid like one. Now, since there is no franchise tag that fits what Graham does on the field, he'll probably file a grievance over his tag value unless the Saints get a deal done soon in the neighborhood of $9 million a year.

The NFL could have prevented this issue reaching this point had it anticipated the tag challenges. It will not stop with tight ends, and they should have seen this issue coming when Terrell Suggs challenged the system in 2008.

I thought 8mil/season as Gronk, when healthy, was considered better, but I guess one year inflation is 9mil per annum?!? Still an insane amount of money for a TE that, as he gets older, is gonna spend alot of time in the trainers' tub and is gonna eat alot of salary cap in guaranteed money...

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

They are not stupid enough. Unlike Schefter. This guy looks smart only when his sentences start with "Per my sources" or "I've been told"

Re: Jimmy Graham Contract

Quote:

Originally Posted by brees84 (Post 580512)

They are not stupid enough. Unlike Schefter. This guy looks smart only when his sentences start with "Per my sources" or "I've been told"

He's probably priming the pump as a favor to Jimmy Sexton; but it's noteworthy nonetheless...

I really think a team like Miami, who's had a good history with the Saints in trades could pull the trigger - now how that get's done is another situation...

And they haven't exactly had a good run in the first round the past few seasons so they could geaux for the known quantity...