Graham: Unless Saints called, I’d have retired

METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham said he was ready to go home again.

Graham put on a Saints jersey for the first time since the 2014 season this week, returning to New Orleans after an eight-year absence. Graham said it was emotional for him to return to the organization that drafted him in 2010 and traded him to the Seattle Seahawks during the 2015 offseason.

Graham and the Saints had multiple conversations over the years about bringing him back, talking as recently as last season. But when nothing happened, Graham sat out the season instead of signing a deal elsewhere.

“I had a couple of teams that were reaching out, all teams that made the playoffs,” Graham said Saturday. “I just couldn’t see myself wearing another jersey again. I just wanted, hopefully, if there was ever another opportunity to come back home, to make it happen. It did, and I’m here now.

“… I talked to [my agent] Jimmy Sexton and just made it clear if I don’t retire as a Saint then I wasn’t going to play again.”

The 36-year-old Graham returns to the Saints as a different player than the one who left. Graham was a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler who had 51 touchdowns during his five seasons in New Orleans, but he hasn’t had the same level of success during recent stints with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

Now he’s competing with a group of younger players who grew up watching him play. Tight end Foster Moreau, 26, was in high school when he watched Graham catch two touchdowns in a 2011 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and later would have his autographed jersey hanging on his wall.

“Jimmy was a dog. And he still is, honestly. He runs great,” Moreau said. “It’s such a fun situation walking in the locker room, like ‘Oh my God, Jimmy Graham is right there.’ … It’s a weird situation. It happened similarly three years ago, I’d seen every clip of Jason Witten tape and then all the sudden he’s in the same position room. It’s funny how it works. I’m probably going to end up with one of the greatest tight end rolodexes of teammates you could ever imagine.”

Graham hasn’t said exactly what his role in the Saints offense looks like, but he said general manager Mickey Loomis didn’t sugarcoat anything when they signed him to one-year, veteran minimum contract this week.

Graham said one thing he brings off the field is a sense of what it takes to win championships, noting he and defensive end Cameron Jordan are the only players left that were on the roster with players who won the Saints’ lone Super Bowl title in 2009.

“Truly I understand what that culture was like and what that looks like, the sacrifice that it takes and the brotherhood — that bond — that needs to be molded,” Graham said. “No. 1, I think that I definitely bring that. And 2, I’ve matured a little bit since the last time I was here and having the opportunity to get into a tight end room that’s super talented, super diverse, has the opportunity to do a lot for this team … I think I have a lot of knowledge to share there.”

He added with a smile: “Obviously I’m feeling better than ever, I’m still 6-7 and I like the red zone.”

The biggest question the Saints had was whether Graham still had the desire and ability to play. Saints coach Dennis Allen said Graham answered those questions in his first workout.

“I know I’m definitely in shape,” Graham said. “At first I took the year to get my body right. When you’ve taken as many hits as I have over the years, I have a lot of miles on me. I started biking and basically biked hundreds of miles a week. I’m in the best cardio shape of my life. I know that’s not a problem at all. I’m looking forward to putting the pads on and putting some callouses back on.”

Graham said multiple times that he knows any role he might have will have to be earned, but he’s ready to prove himself again.

“I definitely came into this with a chip on my shoulder and something to prove,” Graham said. “Obviously, not being in the game and coming back like that is very intriguing and you have to prove yourself. … I’m ready to compete at every level that I can and every opportunity that I can.

“… Nothing is given here. I know I’m going to come and I’m going to earn any opportunity that I do get, but the expectation for this overall team is, I don’t know how you got into a season not looking to make a run. … I think there’s a huge buzz from the city. I could see it from the outside all the way from Miami. It’s a special time to be a New Orleans Saint.”

There was a time that a reunion between Graham and the Saints would be impossible. The Saints and Graham went to arbitration in the summer of 2014 regarding his franchise tag. Graham wanted to be designated as a wide receiver for franchise tag purposes instead of the lower paid tight end.

Although the Saints won the dispute, they ended up signing Graham to a four-year, $40 million contract anyway. Graham said the issue revolved around receiving the tag in the first place.

“I think that also kind of pissed me off because that’s not really what I wanted. I just didn’t want to be franchised,” Graham said. “It’s hard to play in the middle of the field in this league, and back then, at that franchise tag, it just, it made no sense. I was like, ‘I just want a longer deal.’ And that’s what that was about. … The issue in general kind of got blown out of proportion.”

Graham said the 2015 trade came as a complete shock, but said all of that is long behind him and he’s ready to prove himself.

“It’s interesting to be able to take time off away from [the NFL] and realize just how special this place is, how special this game is, how special this league is and how special it is to have an opportunity to play in it,” Graham said. “… I think everything happens for a reason and I think it’ll be to my benefit.”