Article on Jimmy Graham in ESPN Magazine

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According to a source close to Graham, he was extremely annoyed when Brees -- who got a $100 million contract in 2012 after threatening to hold out if he got the franchise tag -- told a USA Today reporter he'd like to have Graham back but that if not the team could manage fine without him. The Saints had, after all, done just fine before he was drafted, Brees pointed out. Oh, and Graham was definitely a tight end in Brees' mind. The comments seemed to violate the agreement among NFL players that you don't talk about other people's contract situations. At the very least, it seemed like bad form to choose sides publicly in a fight between your teammate and your employer. That same source says Graham confronted Brees when the two bumped into each other at an offseason event. The quarterback tried to smooth things over, shifting the blame to the media, but Graham wasn't exactly buying it.

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Graham planned to play basketball in Europe after graduation, Haith says. But then the New England Patriots sent word that they'd be interested in inviting him to camp to mold him into a football player, despite his complete lack of gridiron experience. Graham talked it over with Haith and then-Miami football coach Randy Shannon, and Shannon agreed to let him play for the Hurricanes for a season while he attended grad school.

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You have to wonder what effect all of this has had on the on-field dynamic, or lack thereof, between the Saints' star quarterback and his tight end. During a recent practice, Brees fired a pass to Graham in between two defenders, a perfect ball that practically whistled as it knifed through the sticky Louisiana air. It thumped off Graham's hands with an awkward thud, flopping to the ground like a bird that had just slammed into a sliding glass door. The quarterback looked away, avoiding eye contact. Graham, in turn, never once glanced back at Brees. Three plays later, Brees threw another perfect ball to Graham, this time for a touchdown, which Graham celebrated by elaborately pretending to dunk over an imaginary goalpost. But Brees, all business, already had his back turned, prepared to call the next play.

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