New Orleans Saints Tight End Jimmy Graham is the top free agent in the NFL for 2014. Coming off a spectacular 2013 season, he posted up numbers you’d expect a wide receiver to make. With 1,215 yards, 14.1 yards per carry, and 16 touchdowns, Graham has made his case as a first class tight end, and we look forward to seeing his future with the Saints.
But there’s only one problem, and this involves the franchise tag.
The franchise tag is used in the NFL to restrict player movement in athletes considered vital to the organization, a description in which Jimmy Graham fits. Recently there were talks of the Saints using their franchise tag on Graham to make him a franchise player. Seems fine and dandy, right?
Think again. Media outlets such as NFL Network and Fox Sports reported that Graham is expected to file a grievance against the Saints organization if tagged as a tight end and not a wide receiver. If tagged as a tight end, he would earn less money than he would in comparison to being tagged as a wide receiver.
So why not just tag Graham as a receiver and save all the trouble? The flaw in this logic lies in the Saints’ cap space limits. The team is currently $2.6M under the salary. It would be impossible for the Saints to afford paying Jimmy Graham wide receiver money, and that is where the conflict ultimately comes into place.
Obviously, Jimmy Graham was a huge factor into the Saints successful 2013 season, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Graham was also the only Saints receiver with double-digit touchdown receptions, as receivers Marques Colston and Kenny Stills both came in second with 5 touchdowns each. Considering he’s a tight end, this lead is very impressive, and a big reason why keeping Graham on the team is crucial for the Saints if they plan on going on another possible Super Bowl run.
New Orleans finds itself in between a rock and a hard place. The cuts they made last week (including fan favorite linebacker Jonathan Vilma) got them just under the cap, but did not clear enough to afford Graham. The team could make more cuts, but it would be difficult to evaluate which guys are getting it done and which guys are not.
Many have speculated that if Graham is not back with the Saints next year, he’ll go to a destination like Green Bay, where the Packers’ have approximately $28 million in cap space (via The Journal Sentinel), or the Indianapolis Colts, who are $31 million under the cap (via USA Today Sports). Both teams will certainly benefit from Graham running the show, something the Saints cannot afford to let happen.
If the Saints want to afford Jimmy Graham, there must be a compromise. A suggestion would be to cut a few more players to clear cap space and pay Graham in the middle of what tight ends and wide receivers would made, and go from there. Otherwise, it’s a scary situation for New Orleans, and Jimmy Graham could take his talents elsewhere.
The Birthplace of Jazz has a winning culture in football. Depending on what happens here on out with Jimmy Graham, that could be in jeopardy.
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Legal Analysis Per Ben Kerr: The difference in salary between a franchise tagged tight end and a franchise tagged wide reciever is approximately $4.5 million per season, so we can see why this will be a fight between Graham and the Saints.
Most fans would say that Graham is a tight end, however things aren’t so simple. The basic argument before the arbitrator will be two-fold.
Graham will likely argue that the letter of the law in the Collective Bargaining Agreement should prevail. The CBA states that the franchise player be tendered at the position “at which [he] participated in the most plays during the prior League Year.” When the Saints use Graham he is often split from the line, and thus he is making the argument that when there is a gap between him and the offensive tackle he is actually lining up as a wide receiver and not a tight end. In the Saints pass happy offense, this formation is used on more than 50% of plays.
The Saints will argue that the modern tight end position is no longer restricted to being lined up beside the offensive tackle and even when he lines up split from the line, he is still playing tight end. For the arbitrator to rule in their favor, he will need to state that NFL positions are not as cut and dry as they have been in the past. This is a difficult precedent for any arbitrator to set.
The situation is one that has almost reached an arbitrator on two previous occasions. In 2012 the Packers had the same fight with Jermichael Finley, but compromised on a two-year deal before going before the arbitrator. Last year, the Titans choose not to franchise Jared Cook fearing the arbitration process, and the possibility he would end up with wide receiver money.
And so this situation leaves us a lot of unknowns.
(Stats via espn.com. Sources via NFL Network, Fox Sports, The Journal Sentinel, and USA Today)
