Using Franchise tag on Graham could open can of worms for Saints, NFL

Is Jimmy Graham a tight end or a wide receiver? 

If the Pro Bowl pass catcher and the New Orleans Saints can't reach agreement on a new long-term deal, the team will reportedly use it's Franchise Tag on the unrestricted free agent, opening a can of worms that could have league-wide ramifications.

At issue is the projected salary for a tight end on the Franchise Tag versus what is projected for a wide receiver, a disparity of $4.5 million in favor of wide receivers - and though there has not been much conjecture on the subject as yet, if the tag is applied there could certainly be a battle as to what position Graham actually plays.

Selected as a tight end out of Miami in the third round of the 2010 draft, the 6' 7", 270 pound Graham is blessed with wide receiver speed (4.56) and is used much like a wide receiver in the Saints' record-breaking aerial attack, yet he has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and was named the first-team All Pro tight end at the end of this past regular season.

"Isn't that what we drafted him as? Isn't that what he made the Pro Bowl as?" Saints' General Manager Mickey Loomis said last week. "That's what we see him as, a tight end. That's what makes him valuable."

Loomis may see him as a tight end, but according to a report on ESPN.com ,the Saints used him primarily as a wide receiver on almost 70% of his offensive snaps.

Regardless of how he is viewed by whom, Graham has proven his worth as a weapon in New Orleans and deserves Rob Gronkowski-type money at the very least, as his production is unmatched in the NFL since coming into the league.

Of his 301 receptions, 85% have gone for either a first down or a touchdown, with 41 touchdowns and 215 first downs.  Gronkowski has posted similar numbers but has been perpetually injured in his career, which spans the same time frame.

Gronkowski signed a six year, $54 million contract extension just prior to the 2012 season.

For his part, Graham is reluctant to the idea of the Franchise Tag, and according to several published reports he is on record as saying that if the tag is used on him, it would be "real unfortunate.".

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/using-franchise-tag-on-graham-could.html