Saints contract proves five-time Pro Bowler's career is basically over

The New Orleans Saints made a pretty surprising move when they announced the decision to reunite with 37-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham on Monday. Graham, a former two-time All-Pro with the Saints, spent the 2022 season out of football after a two-year stint with the Chicago Bears that lasted from 2020-2021. But what makes the […]

Evan Winter — NFL Managing Editor

Jul 27, 2023 2:53 PM EDT

Nov 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) celebrates a first down catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter of their game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The New Orleans Saints made a pretty surprising move when they announced the decision to reunite with 37-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham on Monday.

Graham, a former two-time All-Pro with the Saints, spent the 2022 season out of football after a two-year stint with the Chicago Bears that lasted from 2020-2021.

But what makes the move surprising are the bodies that made up the Saints tight end room pre-Graham. The team re-signed Juwan Johnson to a two-year, $12 million deal during the offseason, brought in one of Derek Carr's favorite teammates in Foster Moreau, signed veteran Jesse James during the offseason, and then of course, Taysom Hill is still in the mix.

So, just where in the hell does Graham, at 37, fit in?

Well, based off his contract details, it looks like these two are simply kicking the tires when it comes to what looks to be the final year of his career. If he even makes it past final cuts.

Per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, Graham's contract is a veteran salary benefit contract, which is a deal that helps alleviate his salary cap hit. Graham will make the veteran minimum of $1.165 million this year, but also receives a $152k signing bonus. He'll count just $1.165 million against the Saints' 2023 cap.

#Saints deal for Jimmy Graham one year $1.165M plus $152,500 signing bonus
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 27, 2023

It's really hard to envision a 37-year-old tight end beating out the aforementioned list of guys after sitting out a year. Even if Graham is one of the better tight ends in recent memory.

If he doesn't make the Saints' final cut, then it's safe to say Graham's storied career is officially over. And based off how the Saints are handling things, that is how this situation is trending.