METAIRIE, La. — The quietest New Orleans Saints’ offseason in years remained that way through the early stages of training camp, thanks to fourth-year tight end Jimmy Graham.
With 215 receptions and 25 touchdowns in his first three seasons, Graham has clearly out-performed the rookie contract he signed in 2010 and will likely become the highest-paid tight end either this fall or next spring.
But while some players in his situation would have at least been tempted to hold out and skip training camp to get a contract extension to ensure his long-term financial security, Graham reported on time last week.
Despite watching fellow tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez from the same draft class get huge deals that average around $8 million per season, Graham is scheduled to earn $1.323 million in base salary this season after making $540,000 a year ago.
If a new contract and financial security is on his mind, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Graham isn’t showing it. Through the first few days of camp, he politely took every question about his contract status in stride.
“Whenever that happens, it’s going to happen,” Graham said of a new contract. “I’m not too concerned about it. I know if I do what I do on the field and I keep being productive and help this team win, I’m going to be taken care of.”
And it’s clear he doesn’t want it to become a distraction.
“I’m just here to play football,” he said. “I don’t really worry about all of that stuff. It will take care of itself.”
The Saints have to appreciate that kind of talk, but they fully realize they’re going to have to sign Graham to a long-term deal, perhaps soon, or franchise him next March.
At the outset of camp, general manager Mickey Loomis said it’s a possibility the deal could get done before free agency begins. At the same time, he noted he hasn’t seen any sign of frustration from Graham about not having a new deal.
Meanwhile, Graham will just go about his job every day.
“To each his own,” he said of not holding out. “I’m the type of player that it’s just about football. I just want to play. It’s as simple as that.”
–Team correspondents for The Sports Xchange contributed material for this story.