Jimmy Graham had a fairly good case to be declared a wide receiver for franchise-tag purposes, just not good enough.
Graham, who refers to himself as a tight end on his Twitter bio, will be given the tight end franchise tag after arbitrator Stephen Burbank ruled against Graham and with the Saints.
The%20Jimmy%20Graham%20decision%20is%20out.%20Burbank%20has%20ruled%20he’s%20a%20tight%20end.%20The%20Saints%20have%20won
—%20Ian%20Rapoport%20(@RapSheet)%20July%202,%202014%20">NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported the ruling and it was confirmed by multiple sources. A wide receiver franchise tag would have meant a $12.3 million salary this season. Now Graham will get about $7.05 million on the franchise tag as a tight end. Yes, those are huge numbers either way, but I don't think many of you lost out on $5 million today, as Graham did.
Graham argued that he was in a receiver position on about 67 percent of his snaps with the Saints. He's certainly not a traditional on-the-line tight end. But there was more evidence that he should be considered a tight end ... including that Twitter bio he never changed.
The best thing for the Saints and Graham, who now has 10 days to appeal, will be if the two sides can agree on a long-term deal that meets somewhere in the middle of those two franchise values. Graham had 86 catches, 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Graham could choose to not sign the franchise-tag contract and hold out. The Saints want their talented star there for the long term, and Graham wants to be paid a little more than he is. It seems like a multi-year deal makes sense for everyone.
But, before that's worked out, Graham is officially considered a tight end. At least he doesn't need to change his Twitter bio.
- - - - - - -
Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/TDfNW6
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire