Jimmy Graham is officially a tight end whether he likes it or not. The dynamic "pass catcher" fought his franchise tag label, but in the end lost out on the potential wide receiver thanks to a mere four yards. The result was a loss of $5.3 million in his franchise tag deal. Graham has yet to sign the tag as he continues contract negotiations with the New Orleans in hopes of signing a long-term deal that could pave the way for tight ends in the future.
Graham is still in talks with the Saints despite losing out on his appeal to be tagged as a wide receiver and not a tight end. There is a good chance that the Saints do not see their prized offensive star on the field until right before the first game of the season. Per NFL rules, Graham can technically hold out until the Thursday or Friday before the Saints' Week 1 game if he wanted to. One person hoping a deal gets done sooner rather than later is quarterback Drew Brees who is anxious to get to work with Graham.
"At the end of the day, Jimmy Graham has revolutionized the position," Brees said, CanalStreetChronicles.com. "He's a guy who is so talented at so many things you know and obviously he's a big part of our offense and I hope that they're able to reach a long-term agreement here sooner than later. At the end of the day, this is part of the process and I think we all understand that. I was in somewhat of a similar position two years ago, so I get it, I understand how this goes, but he knows that all of his teammates are behind him and hoping that he's able to get what he deserves and then rejoin the team as quickly as possible."
Graham is still a restricted free agent so a team could technically make a move for him. Any franchise looking to acquire the tight end would be forced to give up two first round picks plus sign Graham to a contract of his liking. That is unlikely to happen at this point as Graham prepares to sign a deal that will have a big impact on upcoming free agents like Jordan Cameron and Vernon Davis. Both players will be due money sooner rather than later. Cameron has already changed his Twitter profile from "tight end" to "pass catcher", a result of the Graham franchise tag hearing.
Former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez is not a fan of the way Graham has been treated by the NFL. He is a firm believe that players should be paid for production, not position. In a column penned for the CBS Sports website, he made a case that getting paid for production should be a priority in the next CBA negotiations. No matter what, Graham's future will have a big impact on the shape of NFL contracts to come.