Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Not unhappy at all.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Sometimes I wonder if we have people in this forum that work with the saints PR to always try to make something positive out of something that don't make sense. Of course I am always going to be pulling for my saints but dayum, I don't want to go back to the days of being the butt of all jokes or not having a decent come back to all the haters. This don't make sense, JG was injured and still suiting up to play often as decoy. If you going to trade him why trade him to a team we will most likely have to face in the playoffs and make them stronger,,surely 16 teams in the AFc would' ve love to make that trade and 15 of them would've given us a higher draft pick than 31 overall pick

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

My son was laughing til he found out I was telling him the truth. Then he watched ESPN like they was going to report it was a mistake for junior galette or we were gonna be compensated with more than a 31 overall pick

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

But how many of them had a pro bowl level centre on a good contract to sweeten the pot?.

If teams really wanted Graham they would have put a offer to him last year as he was freely available for 2 1st rounders. We heard nothing of any offers made. Most teams dont want to spend big cap numbers on a TE.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

What is wrong with Lelito? Probowl center J Goodwin was a probowl center and he is not worth diddly. But let's just say this often injured center can produce we give them a 4th rd pick, why JG had to be package for that low of a 1 st rd pick. If their weren't any suitors for JG why franchise tag him last year? If you want to make bold moves at least make suitable trades

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

If Graham was a free agent of course teams would take him thats completely different to team willing to trade and pay for him. Graham isnt going to play 15 years in the league we have seen over the past two years that injuries are affecting him.

If the team though Lelito was the answer the wouldn't have been starting Goodwin last year. Goodwin was a probowler,once in 09 hardly recent. he was brought in a short term stop gap. Unger has been a probowler 2 out the last 3 years and was all pro in 2012.

Both players have injury question marks,but who knows who is fitter.
Graham will be 29 during the coming season,its not like he is a payer with 5 years in him. Its not like he has really impressed in the post season either. I loved watching Graham but this move makes long term sense.
We get a top notch center and a 1st round pick for far less money than Graham was eating on the cap. This is a deal that might take till next years FA to really show its worth. We could have lots of cash to spend next summer

Nobody will know if this works out for either side for 4-5 years.
We need to wait and see

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Obviously a long way to go with many players getting deals but look at the list scheduled to be FA next summer

WR
Dez Bryant
Demaryus Thomas
Julio Jones
AJ Green

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Obviously a long way to go with many players getting deals but look at the list scheduled to be FA next summer

WR
Dez Bryant
Demaryus Thomas
Julio Jones
AJ Green

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I often find myself wondering why people always want to justify any move the Saints make, but this actually isn't one of them.

I don't see this as anyone hating on Jimmy, either. People are just realizing that we have bigger needs and something major had to happen. All this restructuring crap we do every year gets us nowhere. Now we free up Graham's cap space, plus the player and draft pick we got in return.

A proven commodity and a 1st rounder is better than two first rounders, neither of which are proven. That's what makes this a good deal. The only thing I don't like is that he's with the Seahawks, but as critical as I've been of our front office in recent years, I honestly don't think they would have traded him to THAT team without exploring all other options first. The most suitable return just ended up being the hags.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

4 til 5 years! Do you really think Drew have 4 til 5 years? I think they could've got a higher or more draft picks for Jimmy. I think Jimmy was injured that's why he wasn't that dominant as the years before. I don't see why they're looking for a center when it's obvious Evans or Grubbs need to be replaced.


If they wanted to send a message to the team with this trade, it was carried out and time will tell if it was negative or positive. More likely they going to want their guarantee up front due to fact they seeing how Sproles, now. Graham being traded out

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

You seem convinced that this is about Jimmy not being good enough. He definitely drew the ire of some fans, myself included, for disappearing at times but this move, in my opinion, is not a negative reflection on jimmy, but just an understanding by the Saints that they might have put too many eggs in one basket and they traded him for the opportunity to sign other players in positions of need. Something that has been needed a while now.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Proven he was injured half of the season and we given up a 4th round pick for him. He now a saint and I hope he can produce but I am still skeptical. No way was this a even trade more like a message to the locker room

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

This wasnt a cap relief so they can sign more players cause Jimmy renewed his contract last year and the guarantees and bonuses must be accounted for. Maybe next year it might be some relief

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Teams dont generally want to give away 1st rounds picks these days,they are too valuable.Last years 31st pick(Robey Broncos) will get 7ml over 4 years and the Broncos also have a 5th year option

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Getting Jimmy Graham is not a giving away a 1st rd pick. If Jimmy Graham was in this year draft and teams know what they know now about him he would be a top 15th pick at the least

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

All the cap bonus comes next year which shows its just a cap move.

As things are the Saints have 17ml in free cap space in 2017 after last night.
Thats before any changes on the deals Colston,Bunkley,Evans,Grubbs, Hawthorne have if they are still on the books and Drews 27.5ml cap number all should change next year. Though the team needs to re-sign/replace Cam,Hicks,K.Robison and Hill who are all FA.


Just cut Bunk,Hawthrone and Grubbs and you have 38ml and we know hat Colston and evans are not seeing $10ml each


Ths whole thing to me reads that the coachs and front office are pissed iwth player attitudes and know the team has become predictable in big games and are planning a quick turnover of talent

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

You're defending Graham on one hand saying he was injured, and on the other hand you saying Unger is not an acceptable return because he was injured. He's not injured now. Will he be injured again? I could ask that question about any player. Injuries happen. It's not like he's Derrick Rose (I know, different sport) out there getting hurt every other week.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

It's not merely a cap relief move, but it's surely a big part of it. It's not all about this year it's about being able to afford players from year to year, and so getting that relief makes a big difference. I don't know why you would discount that.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I like the move. At first just as shocked as everyone. But we need help, he was the only player on our team to track first round pick. We do need a lot of help, this is a smart move.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

That is all find for 2017 but the sale on the team producing need to be for this year. They want cap relief they must make better trades and draft better than they have been doing. Trading JG for a 31 pick in draft is dumb. They should've traded him last year after he had that stellar year or traded him this year for a 1st and conditional 5th to 7th rd pick

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

i really do not think people truly understand how good Unger really is. then that contract of his is really sweet. look for an extension in 2016

OL never get any respect

cap wise it cost us 2 mill because we had to eat jimmy's dead cap money. now 2016 the impact will be felt cap wise. 2016 cap issues just got better.

i do not think they are done yet either. draft day trade involving players is very possible.

washington trade up? jump ahead of the jets could cost us another pick or a player/ washington has a new coaching staff in place and one thing they like is a big OL.

next cap move OG plus picks to washington in a trade up?

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

No offence but it seems pointing out anything to you on why the team may be doing these moves. It appears you have decided that its the wrong move and there is no room for debate.

Do you really think the front office didnt think long and hard if this was a good move.


Jimmy Graham was and is a very good player but he will be 29 during the season and has taken a beating over the past 5 seasons. He hasn't missed many games but lets face it a fair few times out there he was a decoy and not much else. His foot injury impaired him big time a couple of years back and teams with big bodied CB have kept him quiet

Look at last season stats,any game that he had over 10 targets we losts
Look at 2013 when the Seahawks and Pats put physical corners on him he in three games 21 targets/4 recpetions for 50 yards.



Look i loved having Jimmy here and he is a great player but he Payton and Brees with a good O-Line one the superbowl with Shockey,Colston,Meachem Moore and Henderson as receivers. We needed a center and we got a good one. Is there question marks on his health? Yes, Is the same true of Graham? Yes.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Guy, we got a top of the line Center AND that first round pick. You keep ignoring that, or trying to devalue that.

Other teams want to win, too. They know Jimmy can help, but not at the expense of throwing the farm at somebody to get him. I've seen teams get a lot less for their star players in the past.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

How could they trade him last year?
He wasn't under contract and had they traded him they would have had to pay him all his money. Had Graham got wind of a trade last year he would have refused to sign the tag. Teams were not willing to pay 2 1st round picks for him. Even Seahawks didnt offer last years 32nd pick and they new they were picking in the late 20s his year didnt offer the money.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I look at it as we gave a 4th rd pick for him when the priority should've been guard

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

These rookie 1st round contracts are so sweet for teams now few want to part with them. A 1st rounder cost around $7ml for 4 years with the option of a 5th year tacked on by the teams. So $15ml roughly for 5 years.

Now its down to the scouts and brains in the office to go get the right player. If say we signed a Muhammad Wilkerson type of DT for that money and had him for 5 years and had Unger for them same years with a extension id say the team is stronger overall. That would cost a similar cap to what Graham costs on his own

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

When you franchise a player you can use it as leverage in negotiating a trade. You don't necessarily need him to sign anything

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

We HAVE guards. And now we have a center as well. A 4th round pick is a 4th round pick. We have two first rounders. I can't imagine what else you need here to be satisfied. I get it, Jimmy was popular here. I wish he could have stayed in a way as well. But let's take our fan glasses off and try to think about what's smart.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

We know Evans was playing with a bum wrists,im no big fan of Grubbs but both of them trying to do there job while covering for Goodwin cant have helped them. If they team thought Lelito was the man he would have had the job. Maybe they just see him as a backup for all the interior spots.
I really think that coach wanted a top center otherwise he would have kept DLP last year. He let him walk for peanuts to Chicago and then didnt get the player in the draft he was interested in.

Wait and see what the rest of FA ad the draft brings.
Maybe we ship a guard to the Bills as has been rumoured then take Scherf or Collins in the first or laken tomlinson,Jackson.Marpet in the draft and beef up the line. Who knows

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Correct. And they got nothing for him then. Now that he's under contract, it made more sense for a team to trade for him and give up something for a guy they had some control over. If you trade for a guy with a franchise tag, you give up two 1st rounders and there is no guarantee he re-signs with you.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

These are the times I think saints PR are in here to make things look like these were smart moves just like the draft of last year. How is that panning out by the way? 3 on the roster but 2 actually played

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I said earlier that I've been critical of the front office the past couple years, so don't start with me about anything other than this move. This a good move, and it has been stated why. If you don't want to believe, you obviously don't have to. But if you want to really make your point, this PR BS you like to bring up isn't helping you.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I don't see how this can be classified as a dumb move... We have had a top 5 offense ever since '06 with or without Graham; and now we have a very good center to help make the offense less unpredictable; plus stealing another first round pick from the 'Hawks. How can you not be satisfied with the trade?

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

You franchise him and then he can only be traded once he signs the tender.
Who would give up good picks for a player that unless its a place he wants to go can be leave as a free agent the following year. Also as soon as he signs the tag that money becomes fully guaranteed.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

Exactly. If your pissed because jimmy is your favorite player, then just say it. But don't call the move dumb when it clearly has a chance to make us better. That's what it's about after all.

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

I'll point how this was a bad move or bad trade when the data reveal itself but for now I wish you all the best it was nice having a ear to vent to and hopefully I am wrong but I doubt it. I just hate to see the best coach the saints ever had be fired cause of idiotic trades and drafts

Re: Saints Trade Graham to the Seahawks
 

It'll be alright man. And if not, that's just the way it is. We aren't a championship team if we stand pat.