As Saints tight end* Jimmy Graham remains away from offseason workouts due to the small matter of, you know, not being under contract, the man who throws passes to Graham isn’t worried.
Appearing on Tuesday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN, Drew Brees expresses optimism regarding Graham’s ongoing readiness for football season.
“I just know that Jimmy Graham is staying ready to play football,” Brees told Erik Kuselias. “I know that when the time comes and he comes into the locker room he’s going to be in shape and ready to roll, whenever that is. We’re going to have time enough to get on the same page, obviously I hope that is more time than less time but at the end of the day we’ve had a lot of time together and so there’s a great rapport there, there’s a lot of trust and we’ll get back on the same page very quick.”
While it’s likely at this point that Graham will miss the entire offseason program, he’ll likely be in the fold by the start of training camp, since the deadline for signing a franchise player to a long-term deal arrives on July 15. After that, there’s no longer any reason to stay away.
Before that, an arbitrator will resolve the question of whether Graham should get paid like a receiver under the franchise tag, a question that has $5.2 million hanging in the balance.
Also hanging in the balance for today’s show — which includes a visit from Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans — is the number of playoff teams you prefer. Click the circle now, and then turn your cable box to NBCSN at 5:30 p.m. ET.