CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms

With $10 million on the table and just 8 touchdowns scored in two years, the Seattle Seahawks face a tough decision with tight end Jimmy Graham.

by John Sigler Jan 18, 2017, 4:00pm CST

The infamous Jimmy Graham trade and its aftershocks have been felt all around the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. Jimmy Graham’s old No. 80 jersey is still an easy find at almost every Goodwill, T.J. Maxx, and Academy Sports Goods from Lafayette, LA to Mobile, AL. Rabid 12’s are all over Twitter questioning whether the money invested in the embattled tight end is worth a subpar offensive line.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

We have a 7th round pick for Seattle.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

No thanks, Brees is a better QB without graham, he trusts him far too much and it crippled our offense when they always zeroed in on Graham.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Seattle will probably extend him.

All of that "paid as a TE or a WR" drama kind of soured things in New Orleans.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

That was NFLPA driven. They saw Graham's situation as a perfect test case. They did the same exact thing with the Brees franchise tag situation.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Maybe but Graham ate the cheese and it soured his relationship with the front office. That was all on Jimmy Graham.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

And you know it is soured how? Was it Payton, Graham or Loomis that told you that? They are the only ones that could know that for sure. Anything else is merely supposition.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

He was traded for a reason. He was soft and I haven't seen much if any change.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

He was traded because he had enough value to get Unger in return. Don't forget, Payton had originally offered Kenny Stills for Unger, but Seattle demanded Graham. But, yes, Graham was soft, but Fleener isn't looking any tougher and appears to have issues catching the ball. Graham has also supposedly worked on improving his blocking skills. The little I saw he did actually engage more often than he did in his time with the Saints. Seattle just never used him to his strengths. For the right price he could be a huge upgrade.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I got to agree 100% about Fleener. True Graham would be an upgrade over Fleener and we need a TE badly, I just can't see it being Graham, I might be wrong but I would look high and low before I brought him back because when he got that contract he basically give up.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

His comments on twitter told me.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I'd love to have Graham back. Cooks, Thomas, Snead and Graham would be an amazing receiving corp.

I don't think it'll happen though. Even if the Seahawks cut him, he'll still get a pretty penny on the open market.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Yeah I was gonna say.. he's made it quite clear on Twitter on numerous occasions that he's chosen to be a little beotch about it.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I think the Jimmy Graham ship has sailed and it aint coming back to the Gulf anytime soon.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

You did watch the video? You did read the comment that he had another decleater like that earlier in the game? You have read and do realize that Seattle would not throw him the ball (include him in offense) until he learned to block and gained the respect of his teammates? Don't know if he'd want to even come back (assuming he'd be released), but he'd definitely be an upgrade over Fleener and damn near the same cost...

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Dude if he comes back at a reasonable rate, why not? How does it hurt to add another weapon. My guess, however, is Seattle extends and renegotiates. Who knows, but I don't see JG coming back. If he does though, who is going to complain. He doesn't drop them like the almighty fleecer

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Fleener has issues but one year there has been signs of hope for next year. While his play on the other hand makes his chance of cashing in on the big bucks in the final 2 years of his mighty thin. Next year is all about the money for both parties.

Cap - dead
2018 $8,000,000 $4,800,000
2019 $9,000,000 $3,200,000
2020 $9,100,000 $1,600,000

Jimmy Graham $10 million cap hit (no dead money involved).

that is amazing. Saints proved one thing. Get that tall TE and enjoy the match up issues they cause. throw it up and hang them out to dry early and often. their shelf life is short so strike while the trade value is good and before they become part of the annual IR rotation

I would not sign him. not for that kind of money. prove you can stay healty contract would be an option

Saints want a solution? trade down pocket some picks and draft
O.J. Howard TE Alabama 6055 251 4.57 #88 Sr

Now you have your out in 2018 to dump Fleener and up grade the blocking in one move. If all works out well then so be it. Fleener does not appear to be the type of player to thrive in a duel TE system. It was a failure in Indi.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

How about posting all of these numerous tweets?

Here, I'll start ...

To: Akiem Nicks - deleted very shortly after posting.

“feel blessed u got out of there. Time to go shine big dog. All the best. Good luck.”

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

At no other point did Graham come close to being "a little beotch."

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Was it a failure because of him or the coaching?

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Only time will tell.

The knock coming out of college and in Indy was he drops passes at crucial stages, he killed a ton of drives for us.

Devery Henderson turned from butter fingers to one of the most reliable receivers in our offense, but he had Curtis Johnson who was possibly the best positional coach we've ever had in the SP era.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I'd be happy if we got him at a reasonable rate. But I won't lose any sleep over not getting him, especially since we need a pass rusher (high dollar) and some LB's

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Dan Roushar? Aaron Glenn? Aaron Kromer? John Morton?

These guys have been every bit as good as CJ...

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I seriously doubt Jimmy would even consider it if it was on the table. He was steamed pretty good about a couple of issues and had an uncommon amount of anger towards the Saints management. Those folks are still there.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

He said very similar things to Jahri Evans and Junior freaking Gallette after they were cut as well. I don't have a twitter account and I despise the very notion of Twitter itself, so I can only relate to you his tweets that others have posted here. I'm sure someone could dig them up.

Perhaps little beotch isn't the proper nomenclature. Big beotch is probably the better description.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I do have twitter and I know for a fact that there were no other tweets. You are believing in something that was spread by people that didn't know. You do have access to Google, right? Do a little research instead of listening to people that do not know what they are talking about. Besides that one tweet that I listed and was almost immediately deleted, he was nothing but professional publicly.

Edit: and nobody here has posted any other venomous tweets.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Once again, where are you getting this? Show me anywhere that Graham had an uncommon amount of anger towards management. You too have google. Beyond a couple of on field exchanges between him and Payton over his costing the Saints 15 yards for a TD dunk, there isn't any.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I wouldn't mind having him back, just not for a crazy expensive contract. He has issues staying healthy lately and Brees was a little one dimensional when he was here.

That said, I agree with you. I didn't like how he acted when he left and his social media stuff was kinda annoying. Not as bad as Gallete but still. And he refused to talk to media while he was here for the game this season. Just seems kind of immature.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

What social media stuff besides that one deleted tweet that I posted? I've heard a few people talking about it, but it never happened. I have always followed Graham on twitter and facebook and he has always been professional online ... other than that one ill thought tweet that he quickly felt better about.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

SP makes the personnel decisions and obviously wasn't happy with Graham's play and/or attitude. Saw max value at the time and made a great trade.

You don't just up and trade an All-Pro player based on something minor.

On the comeback option, pass.
We have the top-ranked offense. Unless they allow another ball on the field he won't add enough to justify 10 million a year

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Ok. Based on that one tweet, the way he went with the paid like a receiver bs (and I don't care if it was NFLPA driven) and how he acted this past season, it IS MY OPINION that he's immature.

And don't tell me how the paid like a receiver thing was NFLPA driven. I don't care. It was a huge distraction and it was annoying. And to take a page out your book, how do you know that? How do you know it wasn't Jimmy pushing and asking for help from the NFLPA?

Point is, I don't mind Jimmy and wouldn't mind having him back at a fair contract. BUT IT IS MY OPINION that Brees was a bit one dementional while he was here as well.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Graham's ONLY other tweet about anything to do with the position conflict or the trade was right after the trade occurred. He posted, "Wow unbelievable. Shocked and disappointed on everything that's gone on this offseason."

I think he was speaking for most of us.

The only think I can think of is that y'all are getting things confused with Gallete. He was a total ass after he was moved. And we know that he was a psycho.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Yes it was one dimensional, but I seriously doubt with the talent we now have at WR that would not be the case. And regardless of what you feel and however much you felt the distraction was, that was all the NFLPA. Not one time, not one single time, did Graham ever say anything on the matter. Not once. The PA let him take the heat, just like they did with Brees, while they pushed their agenda.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

That is a good point. Drew does have some other receivers he can trust now. Some that are already verging on greatness. Bring him in on a fair contract plus draft us a stud TE as well. If the OL can keep the pressure off then Drew and all his crew will have an amazing, record breaking year.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

How do you know that? Did you talk to the PA? Did you talk to Jimmy? Not one time have I seen that the PA was completely behind it.

See what I'm doing here?

There's two sides to almost everything. Almost everything we know as fans is speculation and opinion.

So that's my opinion on the matter. It has its basis and I think it's logical, as is yours. I'm not hurting Jimmy's feelings. Trust me.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I had heard conversations with more than one legal correspondent saying exactly what I am saying. I'm not making it up. I am repeating what I heard. They basically said that the matter was a precedent setting argument and it was not a Graham issue as much as it was the PA hoping to redefine franchise tagging of "hybrid" type players. They were hoping that it could be translated to DE/OLB, SS/LB, CB/safety, etc. I heard these conversations on both ESPN radio and NFL radio.

It wasn't about Graham being paid as a WR. It was about franchise designations and their corresponding amounts.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Saw the tweets posted here with my own eyes dude. So unless it was a fake account, yes, they happened. Maybe he quickly deleted those too, hooray for him. That just means he's smart enough to realize, in hindsight, that he only makes himself look bad with stuff like that. In no way does it make me believe that he didn't mean what he said.

Also, consider his behavior before and after our game with the Seahawks this past season. Refusing to speak to the local media. If that happened in a vacuum I might shrug it off. But coupled with the tweets (whether you believe they were real or not) it paints a pretty clear picture.

I have come to understand, respect and even occasionally agree with your point of view on certain things over the past few months. However, your steadfast refusal to admit when you're wrong and your tendency to blast people for their assumptions when you yourself can do no more than assume that you're always right smacks of hypocrisy.

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

Would love to see him and Fleener. Be a tough one to afford though

Re: CSC: If cut, Saints should welcome Jimmy Graham home with open arms
 

I think he would come back in a heartbeat. Most dominant to non-existent in the span of 2 years. He wants to be productive like he was in NO.