All good things must come to an end. This time, it’s the career of Legendary tight end Jimmy Graham. The former high school & college basketball star turned prolific NFL tight end out of Goldsboro, North Carolina has decided to toss the cleats on the powerline, signing a one-day deal to retire a New Orleans Saint. Just how good was Graham? Let’s take a look.
Graham’s NFL Genesis
The New Orleans Saints entered the 2010 NFL Draft on the highest of notes. They’d just etched their names in history months earlier by bringing their first Lombardi down to the Bayou & were now in the early stages of planning their defense. They’d take CB Patrick Robinson out of Florida State at the end of the first round & OT Charles Brown from USC at the end of the second. Robinson started 38 games across two separate tenures with the team & would add a Super Bowl Ring in between with Philly. Brown added depth up front, garnering most of his 23 career starts during the 2013 season at left tackle.
While the first two rounds produced solid players who were ready to help keep the title in house, the third would produce a star. With the 95th Overall pick in the same draft, the University of Miami bestowed upon them 24-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham.
A 6’7, 265lb monster with a unique blend of size, speed & wide receiver hands & route running ability, it wouldn’t be long before he put his stamp on the league.
After 5 starts in 15 games would produce 44 targets & 5 touchdowns his rookie season, instead of a “Sophomore Slump” he’d have a “Sophomore Surge”. Working with future HOF Drew Brees & coach Sean Payton, Graham would see his targets balloon to 149 & he wouldn’t disappoint, turning these opportunities into 99 receptions for 1,310 yards & 11 scores. These numbers would net a Pro-Bowl Selection as well as a spot on the All-Pro Second Team.
Cementing His Star Status
Earning your way onto the field is hard enough in the NFL. Producing at an elite level, for a full season, even a full game, is even harder. 2012 wouldn’t yield as many tangible accolades, but it served to further establish Graham as one of the league’s more consistent players The Miami alumni would add 86 catches for 982 yards & 9 touchdowns to his growing resume. With his first three seasons in the books, Jimmy had established himself as a top talent at his position & in a league that featured names such as Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez & Vernon Davis, that’s saying something.
First Team Loading
Coming into 2013, it felt like a given Graham would again produce at a clip that would rank amongst the league’s best, but this year would see his dominance magnified. Appearing in 16 games & starting 12, the Bayou Beast would post 16 touchdowns, becoming the second tight end all-time (Gronk lead with 17 in 2011) to lead the entire league in touchdown receptions. Tack on 86 catches & 1,215 yards & it was discovered that, in his free time, he was down south cooking up a recipe for not only another Pro-Bowl selection, but a First-Team All-Pro nod. The penultimate season of his first stint in NOLA would end with him sitting atop the Tight End Mountain.
Contract Time
Players selected in the third round of the NFL Draft sign four-year standard deals with no fifth-year options. Coming off of his fourth (and most successful) season, it seemed to be a matter of “when” & not “if” Graham would be inking his first big contract. Instead of signing a historic deal for his position, though, the Saints would place the franchise tag on him. At the time, the number to tag a tight end was $7 million as opposed to $12 million for a wide receiver.
After the NFLPA filed a grievance on behalf of Graham, arguing that his alignment either in the slot or outside 67% of the time the season prior as well as other factors, an arbitrator ruled the Saints were correct in tagging him as a tight end, citing his social accounts listing him as a tight end along with the team having consistently done the same since he was drafted.
Two weeks after the ruling, and before the deadline for players to sign their tags, Jimmy & New Orleans came to terms on a four-year, $40 million deal that made him the highest paid tight end in NFL history, surpassing the guy in New England. Graham was bleeding black & gold, & a little green, too.
Goodbye Bayou
The 2014-15′ season, while not his best, would bear another Pro-Bowl campaign for the highest paid tight end in football. He’d turn 85 catches into 889 yards while turning the goal post into a dunk pad ten times. The Saints posted the league’s top offense in terms of yards & also finished top 10 in points but were hampered by turnovers & a defense that gave up more points than their counterparts put up. This mix resulted in a 7-9 record, a second-place finish in the South, & no playoffs.
NOLA went into the offseason knowing they needed to address their defense. With the salary cap not doing them any favors they would need to get a little creative to make this happen.
Enter Jimmy Graham.
While he did make another all-star game & had just signed an extension the year prior, the team would use his cap number, perceived underachievement in the season prior, & list of injuries as a pro to make him the sacrificial lamb in the name of these efforts.
Seattle would come calling with a first-round pick & stalwart center Max Unger & voila, Jimmy’s time in black & gold was over. Graham departed the Big Easy after five seasons with:
- 386 catches
- 4,752 yards
- 51 touchdowns
- 2 All-Pros (One 1st Team, One 2nd Team)
- 3 Pro Bowls
Seattle Superstar
Leaving a future Hall of Famer & Super Bowl winning quarterback can sometimes be a death nail as a pass catcher, that is, unless you’re going to a stable organization with a strong head coach & a Super Bowl winning quarterback who may be orchestrating a Hall of Fame career.
That was just what Graham was getting in transitioning from the Saints to the Seahawks. From Drew Brees to Russell Wilson. From Sean Payton to Pete Carroll.
At 28 (going on 29) years of age & still in his prime, Jimmy would go on to play three seasons in front of the 12th man, adding his final two Pro Bowl selections as well as strengthening the numbers for a career that will undoubtedly one day garner gold jacket consideration. While it didn’t quite look like it did on Bourbon, Graham had continued to produce as one of the league’s top weapons.
NFC North Arrival
Signing with Green Bay for the 2018 & 19′ seasons, Jimmy continued producing solid numbers as a big-bodied threat who needed attention in the redzone. He’d post just over 1,000 yards & hit his head on the goal post 5 times during his stay in Wisconsin.
After being released by the Pack, Jimmy would opt to keep it in the division by heading to Illinois & signing with the Chicago Bears on a two-year pact.
After 15 starts & 76 targets during his age-34 season, Jimmy’s career would begin to wind down the following season, where he appeared in 15 games but only started 6 while seeing 23 total passes thrown his way.
The Homecoming
The 2022 season would see Graham not sign with any team, as some speculated if we had seen the last of the great tight end. It was the year after that would see Jimmy return home to the team that drafted him. To the team that helped him become a star. To play in front of the fans that first embraced him.
Graham would finish his career efficiently, catching 6 of his 7 targets for 39 yards with four of those being touchdowns. A small sample size, yes I know, but also indicative of the redzone animal he had been his whole career.
As of July 22, 2025, Jimmy Graham has decided to hang em’ up. He’s come Marchin’ in. He’s come Marchin’ home.
