HEADLINES

Jimmy Graham

NFL Notes: Saints, Redskins, Vikings

February 14th, 2014 at 6:29pm CST by Matt Feminis

Despite cutting ties with a handful of veterans earlier this offseason, the Saints hover just $3MM under the salary cap with free agent tight end Jimmy Graham‘s future still uncertain. Accordingly, Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune lists a handful of veterans who could be released in order to create more room (cap figure in parentheses): Brodrick Bunkley ($6.1MM), Lance Moore ($5.1MM), Pierre Thomas ($2.9MM), Darren Sproles ($4.25MM) and Patrick Robinson ($2.8MM).

In other NFC notes:

    • The Redskins “must devote a significant of attention and efforts to improving the offensive line,” says Mike Jones of the Washington Post. The coach and scheme will not change, and eight of the team’s top nine linemen are under contract, but personnel upgrades are needed. Aside from stalwart left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger (who could be tried at center) seems like the only 2013 starter whose job is safe. Whether or not the team intends to release center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and/or right tackle Tyler Polumbus is uncertain, but any of the three could be replaced via free agency or draft.
    • Vikings new head coach Mike Zimmer plans to implement a more aggressive defensive scheme, meaning the team’s scouting staff will take a longer look at prospects whose skill sets might not have fit with Leslie Frazier’s more conservative cover-2 system, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.
    • Panthers free agent Captain Munnerlyn says his agent will meet with team officials at the Combine next week, according to Charlotte Observer beat reporter Joe Person (via Twitter).

NFC South Notes: Gonzalez, Graham, Panthers

February 12th, 2014 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano was in the news again today, with a report suggesting that his candidacy in the Browns’ coaching search contributed to the rift between CEO Joe Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam. The Bucs themselves aren’t making headlines at the moment, but here are a few of the latest items on their division rivals in the NFC South:

  • In a recent ESPN The Magazine interview, retiring tight end Tony Gonzalez left the door slightly open for a possible return to the Falcons later in the 2014 season, “if the team is hot in November, 9-2 or something.” However, it doesn’t sound like GM Thomas Dimitroff is anticipating having Gonzalez back. Speaking to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Dimitroff simply said, “I believe Tony Gonzalez has retired and he’ll have a fantastic career in the media business.”
  • While Jimmy Graham was split out as a receiver for about two-third of his snaps in 2013, that fact alone doesn’t tell the whole story about his position, writes John McTigue of ESPN.com (Insider link). In McTigue’s view, Graham will still be considered a tight end if and when the Saints designate him as their franchise player, but when he eventually receives a long-term deal, he should get wide receiver money.
  • When I asked earlier in the week whether Graham should be viewed as a tight end or wide receiver for franchise salary purposes, over 60% of you went with TE.
  • With three of the four defensive backs who finished the season as starters eligible for free agency, the Panthers will have to make their secondary an area of focus this offseason, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. As Newton suggests, this year’s cornerback class is strong enough that Carolina could likely find a starter in the second round of the draft.

Poll: Should Graham Get WR Franchise Tag?

February 10th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Graham represents one of the more intriguing free-agents-to-be this offseason, and going up against a wide receiver class headlined by Eric Decker, Julian Edelman, and Anquan Boldin, you could make the case that Graham will be the top receiving option on the market. Still, the odds of Graham leaving New Orleans are virtually nil. Even if the Saints and their All-Pro tight end can’t reach a long-term agreement, the team figures to slap the franchise tag on him to ensure that he remains the top target in Drew Brees‘ arsenal.

If and when Graham receives that franchise tag though, it will spark a debate on what position he really plays. While he’s long been considered a tight end, the 27-year-old played significantly more snaps in 2013 split out as a receiver, rather than tight to the tackle. The positional debate would have a major impact on Graham’s potential earnings, since the franchise tag for tight ends will be in the neighborhood of $6.7MM, compared to $11.5MM for wide receivers.

In his MMQB column today, Peter King writes that the entire discussion is “ludicrous,” since every team in the league uses formations where tight ends are split out as receivers, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the NFL CBA dictates that a player be franchised at the position “at which [he] participated in the most plays during the prior League Year.” Considering Graham a tight end would be in the Saints’ best interests, since it would give the team nearly $5MM in cap flexibility to spend elsewhere. But it’s hard to argue that Graham, who has averaged 90 catches, 1,169 yards, and 12 TDs over the last three seasons and lined up so frequently as a receiver, should see his salary limited by a somewhat arbitrary designation.

A long-term deal between Graham and the Saints would end the discussion, or at least postpone it until a similar player reached free agency. But suppose New Orleans uses the franchise tag, and an arbitrator is tasked with determining Graham’s position. Would you argue that he should be viewed as a tight end or a receiver?

NFC Notes: Redskins, Bears, Graham

February 1st, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

New Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden has decisions to make on how much of the Bengals’ offensive scheme he will implement, and how much of the Redskins’ system he will keep, write Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Tandler notes that at Gruden’s introductory press conference, the new coach mentioned that he liked how effective the Redskins zone blocking was in 2013. That would bode well for the interior of the offensive line already in place, as the team could look to keep Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, and Chris Chester. Of those three, only Chester’s cap hit is high enough to provoke a release. However, if Gruden does bring over the power blocking scheme the Bengals employed, El-Bashir writes that the offensive line must be completely retooled to be a bigger, stronger unit. Here is some other news from the NFC:

  • Bears’ center Roberto Garza has not yet begun talks of a new contract for the 2014 season, but believes there is still a shot he is back with the team next season, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Obviously I want to be back there,” Garza said. “They told me they want me back, so we’ll see.”
  • Finley also wrote that another Bears free agent, Charles Tillman, would be open to all teams if Chicago doesn’t re-sign him, and would be particularly excited to find a new home in Tampa Bay with his old coach Lovie Smith. “Obviously, it makes the deal probably a little sweeter just because it’s a former head coach,” Tillman said. “You do know the system, you know the scheme.”
  • Drew Brees made headlines last week by saying that he thought of Jimmy Graham as a tight end rather than a receiver, but now emphasizes that regardless of position, he only cares that Graham is playing for the Saints, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Brees appeared on the Dan Patrick show on Friday, to make it clear his feelings on the situation. “I want Jimmy back!” Brees said. “I want Jimmy Graham back!”

NFC Rumors: Redskins, Graham, 49ers

January 29th, 2014 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins expect to be active in free agency this offseason, and it sounds like the team anticipates plenty of overall roster turnover. GM Bruce Allen told CSN Washington that the club will be adding “about 20 new players” for the 2014 season, according to Tarik El-Bashir. Considering the Redskins are coming off a 3-13 campaign, don’t have a first round pick, and will have significant cap space for the first time in the last several years, it figures to be an interesting offseason in Washington.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC:

  • Jimmy Graham is a strong candidate for the franchise tag, meaning his position will be a point of contention next month, since the gap between the franchise tag for tight ends and wide receivers is $4MM+. Taking that disparity into account, the Saints likely appreciate Drew Brees‘ input on the matter. Appearing on NBC Sports Radio, Brees argued that Graham is a tight end, suggesting that tight ends aren’t always used traditionally in the team’s offensive scheme. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details.
  • The 49ers will have the opportunity to extend Aldon Smith‘s contract this offseason, but may be better off simply exercising his fifth-year option, putting off extension talks for another year, says Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, with an assist from cap expert Joel Corry.
  • Suspended Seahawks defensive back Brandon Browner is trying not to get caught up in the financial ramifications of his current situation, as he tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Browner, who will miss the Super Bowl as he continues to fight a ban that could force him to miss the 2014 season, is eligible for free agency this offseason, and would have been in line for a major payday if not for the suspension.
  • While the Packers need to add some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker figures to be a lower priority than the defensive line or secondary this spring, writes ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
  • Concerned about waiting too long to fill out their staff, the Browns bypassed Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and hired Mike Pettine as their head coach last week. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter), Quinn admits that he would have wanted to wait until after the Super Bowl to have a second interview with the Browns.

Poll: What Should Saints Do With Graham?

January 26th, 2014 at 6:54pm CST by David Kipke

Earlier this weekend, we discussed Jimmy Graham’s developing contract situation. After Saints owner Mickey Loomis said that the team was prepared to use its franchise tag on the fourth-year All-Pro tight end, Graham said that he was “not too keen” on the franchise tag.

Because Graham has established himself as the premier tight end in the NFL over the past three seasons, many expect the Saints to prevent the 27-year-old Miami (FL) grad from hitting the free agent market. However, it remains to be seen if the Saints are ready to offer Graham a long-term extension. Two years ago, the Saints found themselves in a similar situation with Drew Brees, in which the team waited until just before the July deadline to sign Brees to a lucrative extension.

What do you think? Is Graham worth the long-term commitment right now? Or should the Saints play it safe and simply employ their franchise tag?

Graham: Franchise Tag “Unfortunate”

January 24th, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Rob DiRe

After today’s Pro Bowl practice, Jimmy Graham was asked about Saints general manager Mickey Loomis’ comments earlier this week at the Senior Bowl, where Loomis confirmed what many already thought, that the Saints were prepared to use the franchise tag on Graham if they could not come to terms on a long-term-deal, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes.

“I’m not keen on the franchise tag, that would be really unfortunate, but that is really all I have to say about that one,” Graham responded. “If that happens, it doesn’t really matter what I prefer.”

In what is gearing up to be an ugly contract negotiation that very well indeed may end up with Graham playing next season under the franchise tag, Loomis also added a little fuel to the fire when discussing Graham’s position on the football field.

“This business about what position he is? I think he’s a tight end,” Loomis said. “That’s where we drafted him, that’s where we play him. … That’s what makes him valuable.”

Being a tight end makes Graham valuable specifically because the Saints could place the franchise tag on him for a much cheaper price. Last year, a franchised tight end would cost roughly $6MM, where a franchise tag on a wide receiver would cost in the area of $10.5MM, a huge difference for a team trying to fill its roster against the cap.

His position is a point of contention because according to ESPN Stats & Information, Graham lined up as a tight end only 33% of snaps for the Saints offense. The other 67% he was either lined up in the slot or out wide.

While most pundits and fans expect Graham never to hit the open market this offseason, it does not mean that both parties will be happy during these contract talks.