New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham has the ability to be the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Graham proved himself as the league's top tight end this season, leading the NFL in touchdown catches with 16 of them.
The top pass-catching target for quarterback Drew Brees hopes he doesn't get franchise-tagged this offseason, though, as he is not a big fan of that at all.
"I'm not keen on the franchise tag," Graham said after Pro Bowl practice yesterday. "That would be really unfortunate, but that is really all I have to say about that one."
The Saints have until March 3 to franchise tag Graham.
"That's real unfortunate," Graham, 27, said. "If that happens, it doesn't really matter what I prefer."
The Saints also made it clear that Graham will be franchise tagged as tight end if they were to make it happen. That makes the money factor huge, as receivers were paid $10.5 million to $6 million on tight ends.
Though the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Graham is listed as tight end, he actually played more than two-thirds of his snaps lining up as a receiver. But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is sticking with Graham being listed as tight end.
"Isn't that what we drafted him as? Isn't that what he made the Pro Bowl as?" Loomis said. "That's what we see him as, a tight end. ... That's what makes him valuable."
Graham has been solid over his four-year NFL career, having 301 catches for 3,863 yards and 41 touchdowns.
