Three days after the Saints’ season finale on Sunday, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham posted an ambiguous series of posts on his official Instagram account, with one in particular casting doubt on the future of his NFL career.
“It has been genuine [in New Orleans]. “Thank you for all the love,” Graham wrote from the cockpit of an airplane high above the city on Wednesday afternoon.
The 13-year NFL veteran, who spent his first five seasons in New Orleans, returned to the Saints in 2023 after taking a year off from professional football.
Graham caught six catches on seven targets for 39 yards and four touchdowns in the 13 games he was active this season.
His career statistics are far more outstanding.
The five-time Pro Bowler has 8,545 receiving yards, an 11.9 average, and 89 touchdowns, 55 of which came with the Saints.
The 37-year-old joined the Saints in 2010 as a third-round pick (95th overall) out of the University of Miami. The 6-foot-7, 265-pounder was transferred to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, in one of the team’s most contentious transactions in history.
In fact, Graham told current ESPN talk show host Pat McAfee in August that he and then-Saints head coach Sean Payton had not spoken since the deal nearly a decade ago. Graham did, however, express a desire to reunite with Payton, who recently completed his first season as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
“Yeah, I mean, he created me on the field, man,” Graham explained. “We had many victories and memorable experiences together. I’m always available and willing to discuss it. He had a significant influence on my life and profession. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t rejoin.
Graham was detained in Costa Mesa, Calif., two days before the Saints’ preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 20 due to what the team described as a medical crisis.
Graham returned to New Orleans for the Saints’ last preseason game against the Houston Texans, scoring his first touchdown since 2014.
He was not charged with the event in California.
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