Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

I think they should tag him with the non-exclusive tag. That way he can negotiate with other teams and we get something for him. He isn't worth a cent over 8 mil and not sure he's even worth that much.. I know, I kwow, he's the best TE in the NFL but he isn't irreplaceable. The only one who is irreplacble is Brees.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

I thought Gronk's contract was six years, $53 million.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Rob Gronkowski Salary Cap, Contracts, Salaries, Cap Hits, & News Profile

It's so heavily backloaded that the last two years would likely not be paid (or restructured). But as signed it is an 8 year contract if you include option years.

NFL contracts are smoke and mirrors. The only numbers that are real are the signing bonus and the annual salary numbers. Any team can cut any player pretty much at any time during the contract as long as they are willing to eat the dead money over a year (or two). In short a 5 year/$50 million contract with $30 million in salary in the last 2 years and a $15 million signing bonus really isn't a $50 million contract. It's a 3 year/$20 million contract because the player will be cut after year three when the salary escalates.

SFIAH

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Yeah, I agree. I don't think his agent really expects to get 12 mill/year. I think there will be more than one team willing to pay 10 though.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Let the injury prone, short-armed, stone-handed chump GO.

I forgot non-blocking...

Alaska

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

I wouldn't even say [that].

Two, actually three QB's played in the Super Bowl who were not named Drew Brees.

Greed is eating us from within.

Alaska

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Jimmy's not asking for anything...his agent is. If they can break open the roster designation then agents will make more money. Jimmy will get signed after all that plays out.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

My counter to that is that for the New Orleans Saints that one and only one QB played in the Super Bowl for the team. And won it. And has help put the team in the position of being a playoff contender virtually every year.

Sometimes I think people forget how really remarkable it is that Brees has passed for 5000 yards FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS!. 5000 passing yards is a feat that has only been attained by 5 QBs in the history of the game, and only Brees has ever accomplished it more than once.

We need to agree that organizations win Super Bowls. The Saints in their current configuration, with Brees, have not only put the organization in a position to win it, but actually accomplished it.

SFIAH

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

My thought is if he will not come off his high horse I would do a sign and trade. Easily get a rd 1 and 2 this year for him. As deep is this draft is imagine the talent you could get with those 2 picks.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Exactly how do you trade a player that's not under contract? Unless Jimmy is tagged, he is a free agent as of March 11th. If he is tagged, the Saints still do not own his rights until he signs the tender.

A sign and trade works for restricted free agents because the team still holds the rights to the player. But not UFAs.

SFIAH

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

One of the big problems will be locker room chemistry. If a bunch of guys like Pierre, Sproles, ect. take a pay cut and know the money is going to Jimmy, there might be a bit of jealousy in the players.

Look, all of the players make a hell of a lot of money but when your on that level, it's about how much more you have than your counterpart. Sure having a Ferrari is cool but having one that is rare and a one of a kind is cooler. It's how wealthy people think. You are always trying to one up another person.

I believe this is silly but it exist and it's real. Life isn't fair and neither is making money. When it all boils down and the BS is brushed away, it's all about the balance in your bank account.

I hope Jimmy and his agent can be realistic about this contract but money talks and BS walks. This is the truth no matter how your spin it.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

The 12m shouldn't shock anyone or be offensive, it is the logical value set by the Saints front office and there is no greed involved. It's actually not even the intentional absurdly huge start of negation figure.

Play agent for a bit. You were just told the Saints want to tag your player. Why do they tag players? To avoid paying them the big number they think the player is worth for 1 season..... So they just telegraphed that your player is worth more than the tag but they are trying to get out of paying it. What is your players roll in that offense? Not his position but what does he play as? A wide receiver. What's the WR tag? 11.7m, team alluded to him being worth more than that so you go for slightly above the WR tag.

12M

As far as the comment that none of us know or have negotiated employment benefits... That statement is ignorant and absurd. 120k/year or 12m/year it is the same negotiation and hiring, it just has a few more zeros.

This pickle is BECAUSE Jimmy being tagged was leaked and discussed. Loomis should have gone at him with 8m/year from the start and never mentioned the tag. The "Franchise Tag" muddied these waters.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

If we can't pay him what the hell will I do with his jersey?


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Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Sell it to someone named Graham. You shouldn't be wearing another man's jersey anyway. That's what girlfriends do.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Change the number.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

The whole "who is or isn't expendable" made me think... I do not think that is the relevant question.

The relevant question is what wins Championships? QBs, and Defenses... not Tight Ends

Falcons have had Gonzalez for 5 years. Nada
Kellen Winslow made it to one
Shannon Sharpe had a few but that was Elway
Name a Tight End that has been the reason a team made it to the Super Bowl or won it?

Never been a TE SB MVP

Never been a TE League MVP

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Trade him to Miami for Dion Jordon and a 1st rounder.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Put him a box with cats and throw him in the river

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

A sign and trade is what I meant. Sry for the confusion.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Heath Evans: " 6'6" 4.5 isn't in this draft." All that needs to be said.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

A sign and trade will undoubtedly include an enormous signing bonus cap hit, which will stay with us if we trade him.

It will cost us 3 times more to sign and trade him as it would to just sign and keep him.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

We won a Super Bowl without it. With Cameron Jordan due a big contract after the 2014 season I'd rather do what's best for the Saints, not Jimmy Graham.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

The Saints tagged him. I hope it's the non-exclusive variety.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Thanks! My head is starting to hurt.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

10 at tops, I'm sorry but that still is too much. Thats were I see his deal taking place

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Jimmy contract non exclusive according to Saints Nation

Saints Nation Blog ‏@SaintsNationBlg 21m
Graham tag non exclusive just means he can entertain offer sheets from other teams willing to give up two 1st round picks to get him.

Also saying he has been offered $10ml but isnt budging from 12ml

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

If they offered him $10 million and he seriously wants $12 million, he can pack his **** and go. Anybody who thinks $12 million is reasonable for him or that he's worth that to the team...I don't know what to say.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

To play devils advocate would you rather pay Jimmy $12ml or D.Jackson 9.7,V Jackson 11.1, Bowe 11.2,Wallace 12,Harvin 12.8.I would take Jimmy above any of those at them figures

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Your talking Jimmy vs WRs... pay scale is different. Jimmy could never be an elite WR. Jimmy needs to play in the slot or on the line so he isn't matched up with the defenses best corners. We all saw what happen when teams played him like a WR, he got shut down.

I love me some Jimmy but 12mil per year is insane. Let's hope we can get two 1st rounders for him and move on. Payton and Drew don't need Jimmy, Jimmy needs them. If Jimmy goes to another system he'll never see 1000+ yd season again.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

I'm not sure they know how much the Saints offered.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Exactly.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Just curious, who would you consider elite wide receivers?

Dez Bryant? Over the last three years, Graham has 36 less yards and 2 more touchdowns?
Andre Johnson? Graham has 10 more yards and 25 more touchdowns
Demaryius Thomas? Graham has 92 more yards and 8 more touchdowns.

And the list goes on and on. Since his rookie season, Graham has better numbers than;
Antonio Brown
Roddy White
Jordy Nelson
DeSean Jackson
Pierre Garcon
Julio Jones....

Truth is, over the last 3 years there are only 7 wide receivers have more yards that Graham and none have more touchdowns.

I think its pretty safe to say that every receiver would benefit from playing with a great quarterback and a pass first offensive mastermind.

And Payton tries to get Graham lined up against most corners. That's why he lines up wide over a quarter of the time he's in the game. He's too big for most corners to cover and it becomes an easy game of pitch and catch. There are only a few corners in the league that can cover him.

Just my opinion, but I think the stats show that he definitely deserves to be listed among the top receivers in the NFL.

Solely based his stats, PFF values him at $12.3mil/year.

Whether the Saints can afford him is a completely different question all together.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Lets line him up at receiver for 100% of the plays and see if the production remains the same. That we he can always face the teams number one corner like most elite receivers do. Matter fact, whats Gronks numbers? He can play receiver too I guess.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

If it was easy to do what Jimmy does for the WR then why does nobody line them up to play like Jimmy does.IMO we are witnessing the TE position transitioning from the Blocker-Catcher to the Catcher-Blocker.Five years down the road and you will see more Graham size/build TE than the traditional big blockers

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Just like a high-maintenance woman you can't afford; you love her for a while and you LET HER GO.

:smile:

Alaska

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Surely that depends on who she is.
Id dig myself into the national debt of the UK for a few weeks with Kate Upton

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Jimmy Graham isn't breaking the mold. We've seen him before. Shannon Sharpe. Tony Gonzalez. Vernon Davis. Etc.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Jimmy Grahams worst statistic season is on par with Davis best and pretty much the same as Sharpes best.

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

Someone somewhere is tired of her crap no matter how beautiful you think she is.

Jimmy is not a WR, he is a TE. Therefore he must be graded as performing a TEs tasks and you know where that is going...... He can't block.

Anyone been to New Iberia in the 80's and 90's? Doesn't matter what tags you saw on those Mustangs, they were not Saleens. :)

No matter what tag falls on Jimmy he is not a WR.

If you think his stats make him a WR, then Pierre Thomas had 77 receptions and 513 yards. That's Reggie Wayne money 5.83m/year. PT had more yards and TDs.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/pl...false/count/81

Re: Jimmy Graham demanding 12 million per season?
 

If Pierre lines up at wide receiver twice as often as he lines up in the backfield then yes, he has a legit claim at the designation. Espcially if it means an extra $5 million a year.