An arbitrator will hear the franchise-tag grievance case of New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham on June 17-18, ESPN.com reported Tuesday.
Graham’s representatives contend that he should be categorized as a receiver rather than his listed position of tight end for purposes of the franchise tag and thus compensated accordingly.
The Saints and the NFL will counter that tight ends routinely line up in the slot and that being split out is part of playing the position. Graham lined up wide for 67 percent of his snaps in 2013.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement bases a player’s position on where the most snaps were taken during the season.
The difference between the franchise-tag salary for a receiver and a tight end is more than $5 million. If Graham is deemed a tight end and plays under the franchise tag in 2014, he would receive a $7.035 million salary.
The arbitrator’s ruling could be appealed to a three-member panel. It is possible that a compromise could be worked out before the hearing or the July 15 deadline to sign Graham to a multiyear contract.
“Obviously, we get consulted and talked with,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said, according to ESPN. “But that’s the management council’s duty.”