In what can only be seen as a boneheaded move by the New Orleans Saints, ESPN reports that the Saints traded their Pro-Bowl tight end, Jimmy Graham, to the Seattle Seahawks today. Graham is only 28-years-old and set the league on fire the past few years. Saints’ QB Drew Brees is most likely ticked after losing his number one target. Seattle clearly got a big addition to their offense with Jimmy Graham going up north to them.
What did the Saints end up getting? First, they managed to fill a need with getting center Max Unger. While Unger is a good center, he is by no means someone you cannot replace. The Saints also ended up getting multiple draft picks, which is said to include at least one future first rounder. While the Saints ended up getting a lot of picks out of this and a center, losing Jimmy Graham is a massive loss.
Since entering the league in 2010, Jimmy Graham has 4,752 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns since entering the NFL as a third-round draft pick. Only one man has shown similar numbers in since 2010 — Rob Gronkowski out of New England. And he only has more TDs. Graham lines up so often from the wide-out spot that many considered him a tight end playing wide-out. Some even call him a wide receiver more than they do a tight end.
No one has been able to stop him since he entered the league, and that is the main reason he has been Brees’ number one target for some time. Now that he is being removed from the team, we can imagine that Russell Wilson will be more than thrilled. The Seahawks saw how Gronk stomped all over the NFL the last number of years, and even how he had success against their vaunted defense. Now they have their own version who has shown to be just as productive with less injuries than Gronk.
The Seahawks add a player that could be a reason for them getting to their third Super Bowl in a row. Jimmy Graham broke all records for a tight end in Saints history in only five seasons with the team — so we can imagine how well he’ll do with Seattle.
Last season, Graham managed to catch 85 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. He battled a shoulder issue throughout the year, yet still managed those numbers. Production is all that Graham knows, it seems. Of course, this was said to be a down season for the stud.
So why, oh why, did the Saints want to trade away a man like this? Especially to an NFC team that they might see in the playoffs? Most believe it has to do with money.
Jimmy Graham is starting a four-year, $40 million contract that will pay him $10 million this season and has $20.9 million in guaranteed money. Clearly, we’re seeing a move where they get rid of that debt. However, the team chose to pay him that. While we can somewhat understand a move to help cap space, Graham was worth every penny paid to him. He has never been known as a team cancer, and he is young enough to be productive for years to come.
While yes, the cap space was saved here, what does New Orleans get out of this in the end? Sure, Max Unger is a two-time pro-bowler who is a good center. He has won a Super Bowl, and has shown he can be a force on the line. Then you add in multiple draft picks, which might help. However, how many Jimmy Graham types are out there? Regardless, the deal is done. Which means we once again probably should favor Seattle in the NFC next year.
[IMG Credit: footballnation.com, nflspinzone.com]