BREAKING: Seahawks trade for Jimmy Graham

In a crazy five minute spell, three huge trades ignited the off-season.

The Seahawks traded their first round pick and Max Unger for Jimmy Graham and New Orleans’ fourth round pick

The Rams swapped Sam Bradford for Philadelphia’s Nick Foles

Haloti Ngata was dealt to the Detroit Lions to replace Ndamukong Suh

Welcome to the 2015 season.

Seattle had to find a big target — a dynamic tight end. There were no options in the draft and when Julius Thomas chose to sign for the Jaguars, they were forced to look elsewhere. Jordan Cameron was a risky Plan B due to his history of concussions.

Step forward, Jimmy Graham.

The two best (and highest paid) tight ends in the league are Rob Gronkwoski and Graham. If your opinion of the latter is dominated by two miserable outings against the Seahawks in 2013, you’ll be doing him a disservice. We’re talking about a player every bit as explosive and difficult to plan for as Gronk. The ultimate mismatch. Exactly what Seattle was looking for. We discussed yesterday whether they’d turn to the trade market after missing out on Thomas. It was clear they wanted to find a solution here.

They needed a seam-buster. They needed a red zone threat. They needed someone who draws constant attention. If you put Graham at the LOS and have him motion out, you’re going to find he’s covered by a safety or linebacker. That’s where he wins — with massive size (6-7, 265lbs) and receiver agility. Not even Gronkowski compares favorably to the freakish physical talent Graham possesses.

He’s also a touchdown maker — something the Seahawks badly needed at receiver or tight end. Graham has 46 touchdowns since 2011. Only Marshawn Lynch and Dez Bryant have more.

The downside is the cost involved. The Seahawks haven’t used a first round pick on an actual draft prospect since Bruce Irvin in 2012. It’ll be four years until their next one — IF they spend their 2016 pick. Graham isn’t young either. He’ll be 29 in November.

Julius Thomas agreed a contract worth an average of $9.2m a year over four years in Jacksonville. It’s costly but he’s 27 this year. He’s not as dominant as Graham but he’s younger with a similar cap hit. If the Seahawks pull off that signing they keep the #31 pick. It’s safe to say missing out on Thomas had an enormous impact. You could also look at it another way. If they knew they could trade for Graham you can afford to stick to your guns on the price for Thomas. Basically, you say, “take this offer if you want it, otherwise we’re looking elsewhere.” That approach would mean you offer much less than the $9.2m APY being offered by the Jags. If this is the scenario, Graham was probably always the key target. They just wanted to see if they could get Thomas for a bargain first.

You also lose Max Unger as part of the deal. This trade solves one major problem and creates another. They have to find a center and now they don’t have the #31 pick to potentially spend on a prospect like Cameron Erving. You lose Unger’s $4.5m cap hit and gain Graham’s $8m. It’s a net loss of about $3.5m — which isn’t restrictive. When you add in Zach Miller’s departure, you’ve basically swapped Unger and Miller for Graham at the expense of a first round pick.

With James Carpenter also agreeing terms with the New York Jets, you now have to fill two holes on the offensive line. I would expect Ty Sambrailo to be a target in round two. They could look at Ali Marpet to fill the hole at center. Tom Cable is going to have a huge job on his hands this off-season.

It’s just a shame Rodney Hudson’s market is so strong. He’s set to join the Raiders for $8m APY.

It goes to show just how determined the Seahawks were to add a genuine X-factor on offense. They didn’t have one before today. A Virgil Green signing or a Charles Clay wasn’t going to get it done. They wanted a Graham or a Thomas. A top dog. And they’re willing to sacrifice a key offensive lineman to get it done.

A note on the first rounder for the sake of perspective. This years draft has around 15-18 legit first round prospects, then about 40-50 players with similar grades. You weren’t going to get great value at #31 without trading down a couple of times. Now you get Graham and another fourth rounder. The middle rounds are loaded in this class. You can get a Sambrailo for the guard spot, a Marpet for center. You can still add a receiver and some defensive line depth. The Seahawks are adding veteran cornerbacks already.

Graham’s age is an interesting talking point. You’re looking at probably three years of top production. That perhaps fits in with Seattle’s current Championship window. In three years time the Sherman’s, Chancellor’s and co will also be pushing 30. This looks like a move to ensure there are no more close calls at the one yard line. A move to try and win another Championship (or two) now. This is ‘win now’ mode.

A few other thoughts on a crazy afternoon:

— It’s a shame to lose Unger, but he’s missed considerable time through injury (13 games in 2013 & 2014). It opens up a new position we can focus on over the next couple of weeks, unless they sign a veteran replacement.

— By trading Unger and cutting Miller — and with the possibility to convert a roster bonus on Graham’s contract to save another $3m — don’t rule out further moves in free agency. They can still hunt for value, particularly on the defensive line.

— That fourth rounder as part of the deal could land a very good player.

— If you sign Julius Thomas, you lose the third round compensatory pick for 2016 you’ll get with Byron Maxwell signing a huge contract with the Eagles. The Seahawks still get that pick after this trade.

— We expected the Seahawks to trade down (like last year) out of the first round, probably for a fourth round pick. Considering they acquired a fourth rounder from New Orleans, you could look at this as an early second round pick plus Unger for Graham. Perhaps they had little faith in Unger staying healthy and were set to move him anyway?

— You might criticize the overall cost (draft plus salary) but if there’s one thing worse than paying top dollar for an elite player, it’s paying good money for a bad or average player. If you’re going to spend, go for the best.

— If Seattle doesn’t make this deal they run the risk of another year talking about the same issues. They clearly didn’t want that.

— How many teams can boast a trio like Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham?

— Jake Locker is retiring from football. It’s sad news but not altogether surprising. The injuries have taken their toll.

— How much of a threat are the Rams with Nick Foles? He’s certainly an upgrade on what they’ve had under Jeff Fisher so far. He’s not as good as some people will have you believe and he too has been banged up in his career. But the Rams have the talent to win big even with a league average QB.

Gil Brandt suggested yesterday he had inside info that the Eagles won’t be trading for Marcus Mariota. Trading for Bradford doesn’t end that possibility but suggests the Eagles might be forced to look in another direction. The possible reason? I would guess a lack of interest within the top five to move down to #20 without a mega deal — and the Eagles lack of interest in pulling an RGIII. Or it could be Tennessee’s determination to take him with the #2 pick.

If there’s any other big Seahawks news today we’ll start a new thread. For now give your reaction to the big trade in the comments section.

310 Comments

  1. williambryan

    Did not see that coming… And Unger??? I love JeanPierre but I have to imagine there is more to the center plan, right?

    • Drew

      Patrick Lewis jumped JeanPierre on the depth chart towards the end of the season. I was impressed with is play so I guess this says a lot about what they think of him.

  2. Grant G

    Who’s Jimmy?

    • SunPathPaul

      Ha Ha Hah… the “I’m Jimmy” thing will be washed away as soon as he catches a TD pass with ease…!

      WOW

  3. Dan

    I like it and dislike it at the same time. I’m gonna miss Unger but Graham is exactly what the Hawks need for their offense. Plus, are we EVER going to see a first round pick by the Hawks?!? This is madness!

    • bigDhawk

      We’ve all been missing Unger for a couple seasons now.

    • u0087966

      I’d rather they get a proven TE like Graham than to take a gamble with the first rounder who may be a bust. The Seahawks have a unique way for grading players in the latter draft rounds anyway. I have faith in Schneider and Carroll.

  4. Greg haugsven

    First thought…very upset, this is Percy Harvin part 2
    ..didn’t they learn from before

    • Miles

      Wow man.

      The Percy Harvin debacle was an outlier. The identity of this team is that they target players who are special. Harvin was special, but a uniquely detrimental player in the locker room. Graham has none of those concerns.

      Jimmy Graham is a special player, and the Seahawks had a chance to get him. The upside is out of this world. The financial compensation at this point looks largely insignificant. The first round draft pick is gone, but the chance to get this kind of talent was there. Good teams take those chances.

      Bad teams don’t.

      • Greg haugsven

        I think your right miles, the more I break this down the more I like it.

        • Miles

          I’m glad you’re starting to like it. You should. This should make you happy!

          It should also be noted that this move is actually cap-friendly, I believe.

          Unger’s cap hit was going to be $4.5 million for 2015. Jimmy Graham is set to make $8m. So $8m – $4.5m = $3.5m cap hit for 2015. So you lose a center but the cap actually looks better after this deal.

          And, we have 11 picks to find a new center with.

          • Greg haugsven

            I agree, I broke down grahams money s little further down. And your fight we have to include the loss of ungers money…also the 1.2 million that the 31st pick would have got

          • jdtjohnson

            Don’t forget the cap difference between a 1st round pick and a 4th round pick…

            • jdtjohnson

              Whoops…should a refreshed before replying…Greg beat me to it

      • Dawgma

        Except for the OTHER time they traded in desperation for a pass catcher after a Super Bowl loss. That went great, with Branch totally solving…

        Oh wait.

        Nope, still never a good idea to trade a 1st rounder in exchange for a second tier pass catcher with a giant contract.

        • arias

          It’s not a ‘giant contract’. New Orleans agreed to eat the bonus money from the contract. It’s a very reasonable contract after that all things considered.

          And dredging up trade moves of a GM as colossally incompetent as Tim Ruskell as if that has any bearing on John Schneider is sacrilege. Trading for Branch was a decision made by the worst GM in team history who proved inexorably inept at his job. His moves have no relevance and deserve no comparison.

          • Robert

            …and Graham is a top tier TE pass catcher, who will have a massive positive ripple effect on our offense. He is a lethal red zone target and seam buster, who will counter opposing teams’ strategy to over-aggressively focus on stuffing the box and clogging up running lanes. RW is a great high ball thrower and Graham will be open on every play by virtue of that combined with his ridiculous catch radius. GREAT addition!!!

            • hawkdawg

              The only caveat I would add to this is that I’m not as sure as some that Graham will be “great in the locker room”. He’s kind of a soft punk, actually. He ain’t Gronk, in other words, when it comes to in-line blocking OR being a wuss. Mad skillz, sure. But uneasy about the rest of it…

            • KingWhoDat

              I’m Ohhhh now u guys love jimmy, before it was he sucks and he’s soft as charmin. Goes to show u how jealousy turns into love when u actually have him didn’t it? Anyways great deal for both team and congrats on getting chrominance for under and a first haha!

              • arias

                That’s funny seeing how he WAS soft as charmin whenever he played the hawks. So it makes perfectly logical sense that we’d think that. What was there to be jealous about?

                Jealousy would require that we see him perform at a high level and envy the lack of that sort of production on our team. Since he could only produce against lesser competition there was never a reason to be jealous.

  5. Tj

    Well Wilson will finally have that huge end zone target he has been lacking, so I guess he is happy today…

    • arias

      He’ll also be losing his captain on the OL who made his and beastmode’s job easier.

      Wilson had 12 fumbles, all recovered (luckily), this past season. 9 of them came on mishandled center-QB exchanges when Unger wasn’t playing.

      • Jarhead

        That is what training camp and practice are for. After 10000 snaps this summer, I’m sure it will get better…

        • Miles

          It should also be noted that Max Unger missed 10 games due to injury last year and 3 games the year before. Graham missed games last year. But, perhaps Under is showing more of a regression in health than Graham is.

          Food for thought.

  6. Jon

    uhh??!!

  7. CWU Hawk

    I love this deal, hope that they restructure his contract a bit though, otherwise I’m left scratching my head as to why pay 10Mil a year and draft picks instead of paying Julies 9 and not losing any picks. Either way In JS/PC I trust. GO HAWKS

    • Turp

      They were never going to draft at 31 anyway – it would have been a trade down for a 4th.

      Essentially they traded a 2nd + Unger for Jimmy Graham. I love this deal. Wilson needed a guy like this very desperately.

    • Grant G

      Check the #s from Davis Hsu

      DAVIS HSU @DavisHsuSeattle · 3m 3 minutes ago
      Cap hit for Jimmy Graham is $8M and $9M in 2016

      For all his attitude, Jimmy has fewer injury questions than JT and has worked with a short QB

      • Steele1324

        But Jimmy had a serious shoulder injury in December. Better check that out.

      • GeoffU

        Also you have to take into account that you’re removing Unger’s salary and cap hit. I don’t know cap numbers, but he was due 4.5 million this years, so at first look that’s only an increase of 3.5 mil this year.

    • Greg haugsven

      This is basically a 3 year contract for 27 million…no signing bonus with CSP hits of 8 million in 2016, 9 million in 2016, and 10 million in 2017…not bad, you can cut him anytime without dead money

      • Greg haugsven

        Cap not CSP

        • Greg haugsven

          Rob, we need that Cameron Erving pick now.

          • Ben

            I was just about to point out that NOW is the time to go after Cameron Irving!

            • Greg haugsven

              They would have to trade up go get him which could be a possibility…there is Stefan Wisnewski as well but he might be to much. Erving would be fantastic now.

    • The Ancient Mariner

      Sign Julius Thomas to that deal, and you *do* lose a pick — the 3rd-round comp pick next year for Maxwell. Be sure PC/JS were including that in their calculations.

      • CWU Hawk

        Great call on next year’s comp. pick

  8. Ho Lee Chit

    I think we got screwed.

    • Drew

      I thought the same thing at first, but if you take a step back, we traded an older Center who is often injured (along with his salary), for a TE/WR that we all have been begging for. The only thing is that I’d rather give up a 2nd for a 5th, rather than a 1st for a 4th.

      • Turp

        Trade out of #31 for a 4th, and we basically traded away a 2nd, not a 1st, for Graham.

        • TatupuTime

          If you trade a 1st for a 2nd and a 4th then you are giving up both a high 2nd and a 4th.

          • Turp

            We are receiving a 4th in the trade…

      • Steele1324

        Yes. And the key word is “begging”.

    • Trevor

      I think if you ask any Saints fan they will feel like they were the ones who got screwed. This is a fantastic deal and gives our offense exactly what it needed. Our red zone offense and 3rd down percentages will go up measurably I can assure you.

      Think about it we basically traded a 2nd round pick and injury prone center for an All Pro mismatch Tight End with and a cap hit of $3.5 mil after removing Unger’s salary. How can that not be considered a huge win for us.

  9. williambryan

    Processing this… Yes the seahawks made people ask “jimmy who?” But they also do that to just about everybody. They make Aaron Rodgers and Peyton manning look average if not below average. Graham is the top paid tight end for a reason.

  10. vrtkolman

    Wow, this is pretty awesome. Finally a legit #1 game breaking receiver target on this offense. Seattle was definitely pissed at missing on Julius Thomas, Graham is the same type of player but has a lot more of a track record of success.

    As much as I like Unger, he’s not the same player he once was and is as fragile as Okung now. We were 6-0 without him and I wouldn’t feel bad with LJP and Patrick Lewis manning the spot next year.

    • Turp

      Agree completely! Unger has been a stud, but he’s hurt quite a bit, and is approaching 30.

    • Jon

      I think this means we hear very soon that we re-sign LJP.

  11. KHawk

    I was already hoping our first pick was Cameron Erving after our obligatory trade down of first pick. Guess now I’m praying for him after second round trade up.

    • hawkfaninMT

      Our 2nd and that 4th would get us how far up? Any guesses? I am thinking around 10th pick of the 2nd round?

      • Attyla the Hawk

        There are other quality options at OC in the 4th/5th round range. Erving is NOT the only good center in this draft.

        In fact, this draft really has good interior line talent in the 3rd/5th round range. Good year to have picks in that range if you’re looking for guys that will develop and start.

  12. mrpeapants

    im excited! don’t mind the first rounder or unger. plus we get a fourth man happy day!!! go hawks

  13. Jarhead

    Who’s Jimmy? I am absolutely gobsmacked…

  14. Morgan

    I think we actually gain some cap space with this deal.

    • Jon

      no, but we only give up about 4 m.

      • Jon

        Should mention I would be looking for a restructure in the near future.

    • Grant G

      Davis just said on KJR that we are paying $2M and change more with this trade

      • Ho Lee Chit

        Subtract:
        Zack Miller -3.3M
        Unger -4.5M
        R1 Pick -1.6M
        Total: – 9.4 M

        Add:
        Miller Dead Money $1M
        Jimmy Graham 8M
        R4 Pick 500K
        Total: 9.5M

  15. AlaskaHawk

    I like Graham but when will Seahawks learn not to give away first round draft picks. We still got other needs – like a center. Arghhh

    • Turp

      We are not “giving it away”. This move likely means JS does not like the top end talent in this draft – similar to the timing of the Harvin deal – and the cap strapped Saints made this move possible for an elite touchdown scoring machine. You don’t need to draft in the 1st to get a center. Case in point…Max Unger.

      We would have traded out of 31 regardless. That is why you make this move.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I think both Green Bay and Pittsburg recently drafted new centers with 5th round picks. Both were successful. I would have liked to have used that first round pick on Erving. One hole instantly filled. Oh well. Still happy to get Graham.

        • Miles

          Well yeah but surely the Saints wouldn’t do the deal without the first rounder. And if they didn’t do the deal then we wouldn’t have a hole at center and we wouldn’t have drafted Erving anyway.

          One thought that I have is that the center position is so undervalued. When teams draft centers in the first frame, people roll their eyes. The middle rounds are where centers live.

    • Drew

      Patrick Lewis is now our defacto #1 center. Did well in replacement of Unger last year.

      • Steele1324

        I can’t imagine they would leave C to Patrick.

  16. hawkfaninMT

    Yeah, we are definitely short a LG and C now…

    Free Agency here we go! Stefen Wiesnewski? Clint Boling?

  17. Nick

    Rob,

    My understanding is that usually teams can decent interior linemen throughout the draft and in undrafted free agency. What do you see as possible players the Hawks could look at as the heir apperent to what unger brought us? And how do you think this affects how important cable will be for our future?

    • hawkfaninMT

      Erving in the 2nd would be a dream… AJ Mcann maybe?

      • Greg haugsven

        I agree, would probably have to trade up…we have the firepower to do so now

    • Rob Staton

      Ali Marpet is one to watch here. Athletic center prospect. Terry Poole is another as a possible convert. Expect Ty Sambrailo to be a R2/3 target too.

    • Ho Lee Chit

      There are several good centers in this draft that should come off the board in R2-R4 including: Erving, Grasu, Dismukes, BJ Finney, Ali Marpet and A J Cann

      • Volume 12

        Give me Oregon’s C Hroniss Grasu. Has a nice little back-story being from a Romanian family, I think he’s a wrestler. Fantastic athlete with better size than LJP or Patrick Lewis and is ideal for the ZBS. Let’s also not forget he’s an LA guy and that for whatever reason appeals to PC.

        • Attyla the Hawk

          Good OC prospects:

          Cam Erving
          Grasu
          Finney
          Andy Gallik
          Max Garcia

          Also, possibles:

          Renee Dismukes

          One that bears watching on his pro day (Combine Snub)

          Shaquille Mason

          Mason was a big performer at the Senior Bowl.

          Just a huge glut of OC prospects this draft. Should have no problem finding Unger replacements

  18. Jarhead

    As of now I am flabbergasted as to why so many of you are whining about this. So many have written about how sorry the OL is and needs to be upgraded because Unger is always hurt, and how we need a big bodied red zone target so desperately. And we just got the absolute best not named Megatron. My god this a blockbuster. And who cares about the 31st pick that they were dying to shop anyhow. Was the even one player who would likely be available that is a fraction of the talent of Graham? So we dump Unger money and injury history, get the best TE in the league who is the piece that we need more desperately than any other, plus we get ANOTHER 4th to add a mid round OL or WR at a great value. Anyone who compares Harvin to Graham (considering that Harvin was paid more and cost more draft capital) is just deluding themselves. We needed a miracle and the FO just gave us the number one red zone target in the NFL. The big bodied mismatch that EVERYONE on this blog has been wishing for. Good grief

    • hawkfaninMT

      Me and you are on the exact same page Jarhead… and that is something coming from an Army guy

    • Belgaron

      From what I’ve heard, there is a talent drop off after the middle of the first round with the next plateau carrying into the 2nd and 3rd. What that means is there won’t be that much drop off in talent level from 31 to 62 for example.

      The other thing to remember is that Graham won’t factor in the equation for compensatory picks next year. They probably gain a 3rd rounder next year for Maxwell’s deal, and have potential picks added for Carpenter and Malcolm Smith. Cary will count against them but overall they are still in the net gain. They won’t be signing a free agent TE. Maybe they still add Claiborne or Sheard.

      • Milwaukee hawk

        Cary Williams should not count against compensatory picks because he had been released from his prior contract, at least that is my understanding. Anyone have better knowledge of this?

        • Milwaukee hawk

          Confirmed by multiple articles that cut players are not involved on compensatory draft pick distribution one of which: http://www.thephinsider.com/2014/3/26/5548312/football-101-compensatory-picks

          Which means that we should still be in line for a likely 3rd next year for the departed Maxwell, and a likely 5th from Carp leaving without a ding for signing Cary Williams

          • Belgaron

            Even better.

    • Phil

      Amen — there aren’t any TEs worth our #1 pick, so we just used our #1 to trade for one of the best in the league. I love it!

      • Trevor

        Agree completely Jar Head. This was a deal that just made too much sense and improves our offense in so many ways.

    • JeffC

      Jarhead, I’m totally with you on this. I don’t get all the crying. You want an elite red zone playmaker, you have to pay for it. And they gave up basically a second rounder and a center we all were wondering when they were going to cut for cap space.

      It’s like people think you should get players of this caliber for free.

      • Matt

        ” And they gave up basically a second rounder and a center we all were wondering when they were going to cut for cap space.”

        Exactly right JeffC. Plus we got another 4th rounder to go with Graham. Great trade!

    • Robert

      I am with you. I could not be more elated. Graham’s ripple effect will transform our O by providing a GREAT red zone and 3rd down target. He will also open up our running game as a lethal counter to the ever present strategy to stuff the box and clog our running lanes. Just a small % improvement in each of these 3 areas is huge, but Graham is likely to provide much more than just a little bit better!

    • hawkdawg

      I would take Gronk over Graham in a heartbeat, for several reasons. But he may still be a good move for us, even if he is #2 in the League.

  19. CA

    This team and this offense just took a large step forward. I’m bummed to lose a 1st and Max, but gaining a 4th seems to be right in our sweet spot. The receiver I would imagine we were going to get will be in round 2 or 3, and don’t forget we not have one of the top receivers in the league, regardless of where he lines up. The shift is now toward rebuilding the offensive line and pass rush.

    We got our weapon from the outside, rejoice Seahawk fans our play maker is here.

    OL, DL, WR, CB, OL, WR are our major needs at this point IMO. We still have plenty of draft capitol.

    • CA

      we now have one of the top*

      • Donald

        One of the best receivers?

        Hardly. 1 catch on 6 targets for 8 yds in the playoffs.

        It is a bad trade and the Hawks are worse for it.

        What good is having a TE if you lose your probowl center to block.

        • SunPathPaul

          Unger was out and we won every game when he was last year. So theres that…

          Plus, Unger made Lynch’s YPC higher, but guess what, a threat / decoy like Graham will help Lynch more so!

        • CA

          As long as we’re talking about the sam Jimmy Graham, the one with 26 receiving TDs over the last two years nad 46 TDs over the last 4 seasons. Yes, our vaunted defense shut him down but only out of the respect that he was the only Saint that could beat us in those games. Give him a legitimate threat on the outside and I find play faking to Marshawn with Jimmy Graham running wide open to be a major turn on.

  20. Ed

    Been wanting to get rid of Unger for awhile. I hope we look at Wisnewski. Otherwise, Grassu or McCann in 3rd. 2nd should still be Agholor or Dorsett

    • Drew

      Angholor!

      • SunPathPaul

        If we want Agholor or Dorsett, we probably have to trade up in round 2. That would be smart. Get a value pick to add fire and explosion to our NEW receiving corp! WOW

        • Volume 12

          I’m hoping UCF’s WR Breshad Perriman lasts until round 2.

  21. JohnK

    By trading for Graham rather than signing Thomas, they likely get a 3rd round comp pick next year (since Thomas money would have offset Maxwell).

  22. Donald

    Stupid move!

    If it were Gronk, I could understand.

    How did Graham do in the playoffs against the Hawks last time?

    Jan 11 2014,
    Graham: 6 targets, 1 catch= 8 yds.

    Yes, a pro bowl center and a 1st rd pick for that kind of production in an important playoff game.

    Percy Harvin 2.0 I can’t believe it.

    I hate it!

    • Turp

      Please re-read Jarhead’s response 😛 Sums it up nicely.

    • hawkfaninMT

      You should lokk at his stats against everyone that he will actually have to play against now!

      • Steele1324

        Jimmy looked damned good in the Saints losing effort vs. SF a few years back.

      • Turp

        Yes, lets judge Graham on one game vs one of the best defenses in NFL history. Solid.

        • Donald

          Yes, lets judge his performance against a playoff/ contending team, because that is the quality of team that we got him for.

          I don’t care how he does aginst the avaerage or bottom teams of the NFL.

          • Turp

            Seriously dude? So EVERY OTHER TEAM is the dregs of the NFL? I’m sure there’s no changing your mind, but anyway –

            Danny Kelly @FieldGulls · 54m 54 minutes ago

            The only team that Jimmy Graham has struggled against is the Seahawks. Go look at his career numbers. Dude is a freak

            Danny Kelly @FieldGulls · 41m 41 minutes ago

            Jimmy Graham has averaged 88.75 catches for 1,099 yards and 11.5 touchdowns per year over the past four seasons.

            • Dawgma

              Wonder how happy he’ll be getting 40 receptions next year in our low volume scheme…

              • Jarhead

                Doug Baldwin gets about 60 as a 6′ or so UDFA. Graham is the best TE in football maybe 1b at worst. Get a grip, geez….

    • drewjov11

      Pro bowl center, (past tense). Shut down by the best defense on earth… Get a grip.

    • Rob Staton

      How did he do against non-LOB teams?

  23. Forrest

    And here we were thinking they’d go for Cameron…lol, nope, straight for he jugular with Graham trade…I know people are thinking Harvin 2.0, but honestly this seems pretty good…only negative that jumps to mind right now is less draft picks, and no more Unger

    • Steele1324

      I am glad they didn’t go for Cameron.

      • Robert

        Me too…that would have been a riverboat gambler bet!

    • Beanhawk

      not even less draft picks though… we just moved down 78 spots in the draft and traded an oft-injured Unger for Jimmy Graham.

      Whether it works out or not, it is a chance definitely worth taking.

      • Forrest

        True!!

    • Phil

      Graham is an instant starter on this team. Most draft picks will be lucky to make the roster. So, using picks to get starters is a winning idea for me.

  24. Misfit74

    Best thing that could have possibly happened this off-season just happened. WOW! Jimmy Graham in Seattle blue is going to be awesome. I also think he’ll stay healthier due to less volume of targets in this offense vs. what the Saints do. Welcome to the Seahawks, you amazing monster.

  25. Mylegacy

    No mention of Graham’s shoulder injury? The guy decided after the Pro Bowl this year not to get shoulder surgery but to “rehab” the shoulder because he didn’t want to be out over “six months” just recovering from the knife.

    I hope, I seriously really, really, hope that the Hawks had their Doctors check him out before making this deal. If they didn’t I need to contact Schneider – I’ve some lovely bottom land in Florida I’d to like to sell him – sight unseen of course….

    • Drew

      Not too worried about the shoulder. Michael Bennett had the same concerns when he was in FA. They’ll do their homework and have a physical, make no doubt about it.

    • Dawgma

      Maybe they still have a chance to come to their senses and scuttle this horrible trade with a failed physical. We should be so lucky…

    • mrpeapants

      im pretty sure if he doesn’t pass the physical then the trade is void

      • Steele1324

        Yes, I am reserving final verdict until he is checked out physically. I hope the Saints didn’t simply dump broken merchandise.

    • Robert

      You should probably call the Seahawks and remind them about the shoulder/physical. They may offer you a platform for some of your other suggestions!

  26. Donald

    I could stomach it a little better if it were a sraight player for player deal, maybe throw in our 4th rd to make it even. But to give up Unger and a 1st, that is a desparate move.

    Now the Hawks have to find two starting quality OL, without a first rd pick.

    I wonder why NO wanted to get rid of this “great” TE?

    • Drew

      We also get their 4th.

      • SunPathPaul

        New Orleans sucked at their cap, that’s why that got rid of him. Now they will bring back Reggie Bush cheaper to replace this production lost.

        He is considered the 2nd best TE threat, second only to Gronk. These 2 r in a class alone. RW will make this guy great, as Graham will help make RW great!

        • Dawgma

          Yeah, they’re in the same class alright. Gronk gets the A, and Graham sits in the corner with the dunce cap on.

          • Rob Staton

            Have you seen Jimmy Graham against any team not named the Seahawks?

            • Rugby Lock

              Apparently not…

              • Trevor

                Donald I hope you are just trolling this site and your comments are a joke.

                We basically Traded a 2nd round pick and an injury prone center for an All Pro Tight end who has scored the 3rd most TDS in the league over the last 4 years.

          • Jarhead

            Seriously you must be a troll or something. This reads a lot like the garbage spewed forth on the ESPN boards. It sounds like something Tim and Tom the Taylor Brothers or Andrew Maples would say….

    • Beanhawk

      Again, I think you may be overvaluing Unger a bit. A good player, sure, but not a game-changer, he is getting older, and is frequently injured. The Hawks went 6-0 without Unger last year. Clearly, they would have liked to have him, but not a devastating blow. I thought Unger might have been a cap casualty this year under the right circumstances anyway.

      Other that that, we drop 78 spots in a draft that seemed to offer little value in the late first-round range (not to mention one might argue that we have had more success in the 4th round than the first round anyway).

      If they convert Graham’s roster bonus into a signing bonus, they may even be able to drop his cap number to less than 5 million. That would still give you ample money to sign a solid free agent guard or center to compete. Not to mention, starting caliber interior linemen are often available in the third and fourth rounds (where Seattle made sure to get an extra pick).

      Whether or not it works out is anybody’s guess, but it definitely seems worth the shot.

      • Donald

        That 1st rd pick is still valuable, even if they were to drop down to the second. The talk of getting value is nice but there are times you need to ignore Value and go for quality, even picking a quality impact player higher than you like because they are worth it.

        Basically we picked Graham in the 1st rd. We traded a probowl Unger that is a difference maker for the offense for a lousy 4th rd pick. Should have got a second out of it.

        Still not sold on it.

        • Beanhawk

          Yeah, Unger is no longer a pro-bowl center in my book, and I would never consider a 4th-round pick lousy.

          I guess I consider Graham an exciting, more than worthy “first-round pick,” and I think I might have even been willing trade Unger for a 4th-round pick straight up anyway and save 3.4 million on his cap savings. I like Unger okay, but I think he can be upgraded and 3-4 rounds tend to be a center sweet-spot.

          That said, though I disagree, I certainly understand where you are coming from and I recognize that you value Unger much more highly.

        • scott

          Unger was a pro bowl player, Graham is every year and flat out wins games for his team. I know unger is a valuable player but does his impact equate to a player who fills our dire need for a red zone target? I don’t think so.
          Good trade!

        • OZ

          Your entitled to your opinion Donald. I’m all in!!!!!

    • Phil

      LadyT, Wow — what a story about Graham’s childhood. All my fellow 12s are gonna love this guy. But, he can’t wear #80 though. Must viewing for all 12s!

  27. smitty1547

    wow not sure what to think of this at the moment, I do remember during the SB one of the stats that they rolled out was how much better are running game was when Unger was on the field and healthy.

    • Drew

      Unger also missed about half the season last year.

    • Donald

      You are correct.

      The running game and the offense in general was better with Unger there.

      Now it is worse. You thought Wilson had to escape from pressure and ran too much before….. Well now it will be more so. Putting Wilson in more jeopardy with less quality OL to block.

      But at least we got a TE in a desparate, knee jerk reaction because they lost on the JT sweepstakes.

      • Beanhawk

        Yeah, I am just not sure we share the same opinion on the current quality of Unger. I am not sure he has played at a “pro-bowl-level,” as you describe above, for 2-3 seasons.

        Not saying that the starting center is currently on the roster yet, but I don’t see losing Unger as altering our ability (or inability as one may see it) all that much.

        • mrpeapants

          Im with ya bean we can find a center much easier then it would be to find a jimmy graham type. this was a great move. swing for the fences

    • Ed

      When is the problem. Plus his deal was up after next year, so he would have been gone anyway. We don’t need him to block. We need him to line up and just throw to him on 3rd down and in the redzone. That’s it. Wish we could have got 3rd round, but all good. Now get Sheard

      1st Graham
      2nd Agholor
      3rd Grassu
      3rd McBride
      4th OT
      4th DT

  28. GeoffU

    I love Unger, it’s sad to see a 1st go, but I love this move! Finally a legit receiving threat, this is going to open up so many things for this offense, holy hell. Where were we going to find this? Where? This is exactly what we need and we weren’t finding it in the draft. And how much was our 1st pick going to contribute anyway?

    None of this really changes the draft, either. We can still get a damn good receiver in round 2, in a draft that’s deep with them. In fact, i’m still for drafting at least 2. Still our most glaring need, and is it a surprise they’re going to wait for the draft to address it?

    • Phil

      We can now focus on one of the smaller KR/WR guys.

      • Rob Staton

        Yep. Tyler Lockett in play now in that R3-4 range.

        • Volume 12

          Tyler Lockett or Antwan Goodley. I know your not a huge fan of Goodley Rob, but is there a more unique/versatile player in this draft with the up-bringing and back-story he has?

          • Rob Staton

            I’m just not overly impressed with Goodley. I intend to do a revision on him (and others) soon. But my first look through was very ‘meh’. Lockett on the other hand stood out — and he had a sensational Senior Bowl.

            • Morgan

              Stephon Diggs…Kenny Bell…would love either myself.

  29. Drew

    I can’t believe the Saintss were trying to trade him. He was so important to their offensive output. I guess they were even more desperate than everyone thought being up against the cap. Can’t imagine Drew Brees is a big fan of this. I know Russell Wilson probably is!

  30. Cysco

    I guess that answers my question/post from this morning. JS did in fact have something up his sleeve.

    I LOVE this move! Can’t sign the third best TE in the game in free agency? F it! trade for the second best TE in the game!

    I LOVE this office.

  31. Saxon

    Schneider’s inability to evaluate pass catchers is back to haunt us yet again. This guy won’t survive in the NFC West. Soft, injury prone, oversensitive. He belongs on a finesse team.

    • williambryan

      The Seahawks are the only team to survive the nfc west. The 9ers are decimated and starting over. The cardinals couldn’t keep their QB healthy and lost their d coordinator (a guy largely responsible for their toughness) and the Rams… Survive? No, he’s proba going to flourish.

    • Beanhawk

      Well, he has torn up the 49ers several times the past four seasons. Frankly, the team he struggles with the most is the Seahawks.

      • Robert

        Now he gets to practice vs our D every day! Sundays will be EASY!

    • Dawgma

      Amen. They want to pick pass catchers that can compete with the Los in practice? Well, here there are failing as hard as possible at doing that.

      There are a couple positions (DL and pass catchers) where this FO has flat out sacked at drafting above replacement level talent.

      • OZ

        Come On Man!!!!!

      • JeffC

        If this were true then the seahawks could just show up and never had to scheme to stop graham and we know this isn’t true. He’s a player that D coordinators have to specifically game plan for to stop.

  32. HOUSE

    So the primary need after the signing of Cary Williams (IMO, almost a wash for Maxwell) and the trade for Jimmy Graham is OFFENSIVE LINE. Carpenter went to NYJ and I’m not sure if Bailey will be the answer at LG or not. Patrick Lewis played well @ C and I think a competition between him/LJP will result in the starting C.

    I’m hearing we could Jabaal Sheard as early as tonight, but most likely tomorrow. DT will be a need as well, but it looks like Tony McDaniel may be staying put. The prognosis on Mebane and Hill’s recoveries must be good, but expect HEAVY D draft picks in this draft

    • Rugby Lock

      Where’d you hear this about Sheard?

    • Volume 12

      I’m personally a big fan of Tony McD. There’s not many D-lineman with his size and length that can get consistent leverage. He’s a guy every team needs. Isn’t worried about stats, just does all of the little things and dirty work extremely well.

    • Robert

      Bailey looked like a Macy’s Day balloon by the end of last season. I hope his off season program includes hot yoga and leotards! Sorry about that visual….

  33. smitty1547

    Big balls Pete got a reputation to uphold, nice to know he’s not gonna let one int slow down his MOJO

  34. Ulsterman

    Graham was exactly what was needed. Unger was good when fit but very injury prone and in LJP and Lewis they have two decent options at center. I think it’s a great move.

    • OZ

      I think they like Wheeler too….

  35. scott

    I love this trade! I positted months ago here that this was a fairly mediocre draft. After watching Pete and John at the combine, you could tell that they weren’t that impressed either. This is precisely the type of draft you want to trade down/out of and it makes this move all that much more intelligent. John S rules!

  36. Cysco

    I can’t believe people aren’t excited about this. Seriously, we just got one of the top two pass catching TEs in the game. And people are upset?!?!? What am I missing?

    You’re that upset about losing Unger?

  37. vrtkolman

    Who the hell cares if he is soft if he catches 12 touchdowns next year. The running game might improve anyway because teams won’t be able to load up with 8-9 in the box anymore.

    • GeoffU

      He’s only soft when he plays the Seahawks, which he will no longer have to do…

    • Trevor

      Exactly Lynch will get far fewer stacked boxes and our red zone offense should be unstoppable with Lynch, Graham and Matthews.

      We now have 2 of the top 3 Touchdown Scorers over the last 4 year. Lynch, Gronk and Graham

      • Thomas

        I believe its Lynch, Graham, Dez

  38. Dawgma

    Trading a first rounder for a second tier pass catcher with a big salary? Why not, I mean it worked so well the first couple times we tried it, right? I guess we better handicap it by tossing in our only above average OL for a fourth rounder.

    Ugh. What a horrible waste.

    • Cysco

      second tier pass catcher!? Seriously!?

      :-/

    • John_s

      Huh second tier pass catcher? Does a second tier pass catcher catch 16tds in a season?

    • Turp

      Thanks for the laugh.

    • Rugby Lock

      This guy is starting to sound like some of the trolls on profootball talk… yeesh… I stopped reading comments there a long time ago and hope to not have to do the same here! This is the only site where I regularly read the comments…

      • Rob Staton

        Stick with it — I’m sure Dawgma’s got it off his chest now. Isn’t that right, Dawgma?

    • Robert

      Calling Graham a 2nd tier pass catcher demonstrates that you are either NFL football ignorant or just trolling this community…pick one!

      • Dawgma

        Would you take Jimmy over Megatron? Dez? Gronk? Nope. That’s why.

        Still, I will agree that adding a player from the top of the second tier is a huge upgrade… but he’s also 29, coming off of an injury, and just finished a year that was a sharp decline over his previous production. Sounds like a great time to buy high!

        • Steele1324

          You are comparing JimmyG, a move TE to WRs in Megatron and Dez. Jimmy is second to Gronk in an apples to apples comparison. And that is as good as it is going to realistically get.

        • Rob Staton

          R-E-L-A-X. As Aaron Rodgers would say. 😉

        • Attyla the Hawk

          I’d put him in the same class as all three of those.

          • Miles

            So Dawgma when Jimmy Graham scores his first touchdown you’re not allowed to cheer, at all. You just sit there on your couch and be quiet.

  39. Mike

    Revis hasn’t signed anywhere yet. There was a fake Rappoport account announcing he was close with the Pats. No real news on that front yet.

    • Rob Staton

      Thanks for the heads up.

  40. Cysco

    My favorite twee thus far:

    mike freeman @mikefreemanNFL

    I texted a 49ers scout about Jimmy Graham trade and he sent me back one word: “F–k.”

    • Rugby Lock

      ROFLMAO!! Too funny!

    • Redzone086

      that’s the best post of the fricken day!!!

    • JeffC

      Post of the day.

  41. drewjov11

    Wasn’t there a report that it was for a future first round pick? Is it definitely this year’s?

    • Rob Staton

      Yep 2015 pick.

      • OZ

        31st.

  42. Steve Nelsen

    Break the trade down this way. We got Jimmy Graham for a 1st round pick.

    We traded Max Unger for a 4th-round pick.

    Graham is far better than any TE in the draft and we got him for less money than Julius Thomas.

    Unger was probably playing his last season in Seattle this year. I love the guy but he was having a hard time staying on the field and his salary was getting too high for his contribution.

    • Cysco

      Exactly, except I think you have to look at this way:

      We got jimmy Graham and a 3rd round pick for our 1st. that Comp pick next year can’t be overlooked.

  43. Cysco

    I actually think the the inclusion of Unger was more of a salary dump than a demand by NO.

    • JeffC

      I thought this immediately when they talked about the parameters of the trade. I’ve been thinking they were preparing to move on from Unger anyway.

  44. Robert

    Not sure if I like this move…I’ll wait to see what MoonCrust thinks!
    RW and Graham combo will be lethal! Great 3rd down AND red zone target. Will force LB’s and/or SS out of the box by lining up wide and/or scorching the opposing D over the middle, which opens up our Beast game! A GREAT acquisition!!!

    • Trevor

      Exactly Robert I agree completely

  45. CC

    The right move at the right time. Lets face it – Inger hasn’t been healthy and he might have been cut regardless. With the injuries he and Miller needed to be replaced. I like all the moves and signings. Williams and Blackmon give depth – McCoy Scruggs too. The trade allows them tonlook at a wr/Kr/pr who doesn’t have to be 6’3″! Go Hawks

  46. Misfit74

    Unger is replaceable. Graham is a transcendent talent. This is a no-brainer, even considering the pick(s) involved. Former Seattle front office man Mickey Loomis did this deal with us. Gotta love it.

  47. M

    The Graham and Williams signings are a real coup for Seattle and play to the strengths of the draft and the organization.

    TE and CB are really weak positions in this year’s draft so they weren’t going to get an impact player.

    Graham, Willson and McCoy is now a position of strength and I would look for the Seahawks to run some interesting sets. CB is now pretty well set and with the ability of Carroll and staff to coach up, the LOB looks to be in good shape.

    Given the drafting acumen of PCJS, the addition of a 4th and not losing a 3rd in ’16 is significant and plays to the Seahawks strength at drafting.

    The big question mark, of course, is the OL. With Unger and Carpenter gone, the loss is not only talent but continuity. However, when has Cable actually had any kind of continuity on the line? And he’s still been able to coach up and deliver strong results in the run game.

    Overall, great deal and we’ll see how they address the OL in FA and the draft.

    • Robert

      They might keep 4 and throw Cooper Heflet into the mix. I’m drooling over the possibilities!

  48. RJA

    Lots of things separate this from the Harvin trade but the main thing for me is that he fits exactly into what the Seahawks like to do. There doesn’t have to be a major change in strategy to incorporate him like there was with Harvin. We like guys to go up and get the ball and he does it as well as anybody.

  49. Redzone086

    Big news as well is that Torey Smith gets 40 million from the Forty Niners with 22 million guaranteed. compare that to Jimmy Graham and you see we did well counting that we can subtract millers Salary.

    • Redzone086

      Rams paid Lance Kendricks four years $18.5million and Rams traded out Bradford for Foles.Not sure what other picks went into that one but again Hawks getting better while other teams just swap players and bloated contracts.

      • Steele1324

        If they hadn’t gotten JGraham, they would have lost out on Kendricks, who was arguably the next best available in a crap FA market. And then we would have been sweating. Wondering about Cameron, wondering about forcing a high pick for Maxx Williams.

        All gone now.

  50. Trevor

    I absolutely love this trade for the Hawks and if Grahams health checks out it takes our offense to another level. I think we go from a mediocre red zone and 3rd down offense to top tier unit.

    One thing I am certain of now about our front office.
    1)They have huge balls.
    2)They want special talent and value it above all else
    3)They place less value on 1st round picks than any organization except for perhaps the Pats.
    4)Finally they are never satisfied with the status quo and work 24/7 to improve this organization.

    These factors all give me great confidence in the organizations future even if we do have a couple of flame outs like Harvin they are never going to be gun shy and I love that!

  51. Bernardo De Biase

    Can’t believe people aren’t ecstatic with the trade.

    Graham is a legit receiver, and will make a three-headed red zone monster with Lynch and Wilson.

    Signing of a CB puts Hawks with no defensive glaring needs, and we got a lot of draft picks. Just go offensive-heavy now, three to four offensive linemen, one or two wide receivers, a return specialist and some defensive line depth.

    Nothing stops the Seattle from moving up to Cameron Erving thouhg.

    • AlaskaHawk

      That’s what I was just thinking. I wouldn’t even be bothered if they made 11 offensive picks and had a real competition at line, receiver and kick returner. Let the Seahawks hunger games begin!

  52. Trevor

    This says all you need to know about this deal and our offense in 2015

    Most touchdowns since 2011:
    1. Marshawn Lynch, 56
    2. Dez Bryant, 50
    3. Jimmy Graham, 46

  53. Hawkspur

    I like this move a lot. I’m choosing to believe that Unger was in danger of being cut anyway. Also, trading for Graham without reducing the quantity of draft picks is nice.

    How much cap space do we have now? Is Randy Starks still worth a look for the D-line?

  54. drewjov11

    I honestly loved the idea of drafting Cam Irving for the simple fact that I knew Unger wasn’t going to be around much longer. Salary + Injuries = expendable. Now that we have no first rounder, we need to try and move up again. Graham and Mathews give us some decent options to go big, but now we need a way to replace a guard AND a center. Is Lewis really the guy now? We need to sign someone to play one of those spots, and we need to luck out in the draft. I don’t know why this franchise so easily hands over first round picks, but I really don’t think that it was necessary. A second and a future third maybe? I love the player that we got, but now they have some more work to do.

  55. Jake206

    I knew they were going to solve their TE problem this offseason. I just didn’t expect Jimmy Graham trade to be the way. Wilson is going to be throwing lots of TDs this season. I still expect Hawks to pick up a blocking TE in this draft. Oh and a center…prolly with the late picks.

  56. drewjov11

    So, maybe Stefen Wisniewski?

    • Onur

      Would be awesome.Legit starter. Then draft offensive line in rounds 2-3. O-Line problem is solved.

  57. vrtkolman

    Rob, does this mean anything regarding the team’s feelings toward the offensive line in general? The last few years have been chaos in terms on continuity. Two of those responsible because of constant injury (Carpenter and Unger) are gone. Do they want to rebuild the interior? Do they let Okung walk if he has another significant injury this year?

    • Rob Staton

      Anything is possible after today, although I see Okung as a core player. But he needs to stay healthy for sure.

      • AlaskaHawk

        My view is that a draft LT replacement after this year would save the team 8-10 million per year. Until the next guy gets off his rookie salary. We got to save money in the line if Seahawks pay big bucks for Wilson, lynch and Graham . Of course it isn’t easy finding a replacement for Okung when he is healthy.

  58. Trevor

    Rob

    I hope you love this trade as much as I do. I am having so much fun thinking about what the red zone offense will look like in 2015.

    Question about the draft. What do you think about taking the 4th we got from N.O and packaging it with our 2nd Rounder to move up to the early 2nd and taking Erving? Then praying Mcbride is there in the 3rd?

    Or do you think it would be better to keep our picks and take say Agholor or Mcbride in the 2nd and use the 3rd on a guy like Grasu or Marpet for the Center spot.

    I still really like Poole at guard and Crisp as a developmental tackle in the mid / late rounds. Unless we get some veteran depth I think we use 3 of our 11 picks on OL

    • Rob Staton

      I think all of the value comes from mid-way in the second to the end of the fourth. Seattle has a ton of picks in that range. I would look to use them all. I think Erving goes top-40 so it’d be expensive to move up.

  59. KHawk

    It would be great to sign Ungers replacement in Free Agency. Can we do that and stiill keep the 3rd round comp pick we get for Maxwell? How does that all shake out with Williams and Carpenter signings?

    • Rob Staton

      Only if we sign a player of much weaker financial value than Maxwell.

    • Beanhawk

      Or sign a player that was cut from his team this offseason. Cuts (as opposed to pure free agents) don’t affect compensatory picks positively or negatively.

      Or, as Rob stated, you sign a “true” free agent for much less value than a Maxwell.

  60. Ehurd1021

    Just got home and see this and…. WOOOOW. At first like some I thought about Graham against us and how soft and unmotivated he played. How scared he was to catch the ball over the middle and when he ran away from Kam because he was scared to get tackled. The crazy thing is to me before he played us I thought he was one of the more physical players in the NFL.

    And then it hit me, who else in the league has a defense like Seattle and can match up with him like we did. NO ONE. I love this signing, he is a huge target who has single handedly won games for the Saints. A legit 6’7, 260 + pound TE/WR who runs a 4.5 40 and who has a history of great production.

    What is there to be mad at? I think everyone knew we were going to trade back at 31 which is basically a 2nd round pick anyway. We trade a aging player in Unger who I love but he couldn’t stay healthy and who I thought might be a causality hit anyway. We get Graham, a 4th and still have a number of picks to address needs on the roster. And who said that JSPC are done yet.

    The only issue (which is more of a concern) is that several players in the Seattle locker room don’t like Graham. Bru just posted on twitter that if Graham came to Seattle he still wants his fade. I just hope it doesn’t effect the chemistry and brother hood Seattle has.

    • Steele1324

      Kam Chancellor makes everyone soft. I expect Jimmy to be welcome in the locker room, and practicing with and against these guys will certainly toughen him up.

    • Beanhawk

      FWIW, I think these “I hate that guy” rivalries are extremely overrated by fans for the most part (Sherman and Crabtree a likely exception). Let Graham help solidify an extremely inconsistent offense next year and score a few touchdowns and all will be right in the world.

  61. Volume 12

    I like the move, but at the same time, I’m cautiously optimistic. Didn’t the Seattle defense try fighting this guy in the 2013 playoffs? I mean, maybe it was mind games, but still. I love the move in the sender that I gives Seattle the only thing they really needed, but I hope OT doesn’t blow up.

    I was a big Max Unger fan, but again, I get that he wasn’t the most reliable player and probably only had a year left. I don’t mind the trading of a 1st round pick, I love that their getting another 4th, and I know that Jimmy is a tremendous talent. But, I can’t help feel that he may clash/butt heads with some of our core players. Is he really going to be RWs guy and grow with him?

    Now I hope they target UCF WR Breshad Perriman. I posted in the last thread that I’ve watched every game I could find on Perryman, and was blown away by how consistently he was not only open, but WIDE open. Instant separation, with size, and speed. When I watched his combine interview, he just seemed ‘Seahawky.’ Very loose, his accent reminded me of ‘Big’ Red Bryant’s, and he always had a smile on his face. IMO he just enjoys this game. Also of note was the fact he mentioned to be a complete receiver, you need to run-block DOWN the field.

    And at the end of the 2nd I really like Oregon’s C Hroniss Grasu. Great athlete, perfect for the ZBS, former wrestler, family is Romanian, and he’s one of those LA guys, that Seattle and Pc draft every year. Doesn’t have great size, but it’s better than LJP’s and Patrick Lewis.

    • peter

      Currently, no more maneuvers ( though I think they will as for draft seeding). Do you like Perriman at the natural 2nd round pick, sambraillo, or grassy…?

      For me the first time I saw perriman I was sold so id like him at that slot. Its time for me some serious mismatches on offense.

      Sambraillo in the third? Patrick Lewis as the center? Got some doubts but maybe.

      • Volume 12

        No, I don’t like the idea of taking a G and then trying to make him an effective NFL starter. Perriman or ‘Sambo’ in the 2nd and then Grasu or a WR in the 3rd round.

        I think they’ll draft a C nada let him and Lewis battler it out. But, I personally kind of like Lewis as the 7th O-lineman or so.

        • peter

          I’ve got to bone up on the centers in this draft know of Grady well living on Eugene but maybe someone I haven’t seen yet. Honestly didn’t think it was a priority yet.

  62. JC

    Health permitting, TE’s have more longevity than many other positions, but soon to be 29 and the glut of available receivers, albeit none with Graham’s red zone productivity, makes you question giving up another #1. Trading out of, or back from, your first round pick so often doesn’t make operating seahawksdraftblog.com as fulfilling, I would imagine.

    • arias

      It makes perfect sense as soon as you recognize that Schneider only had 16 first round grades on this year’s draft class (sourced from Peter King) making it sort of a no brainer. It was still difficult for him to give up a 1st, but the weakness at the top of this year’s draft made it much less difficult and ultimately provided the impetus in his decision to do so.

      • Jake

        He’s solidly 28, he won’t be 29 until late November.

      • Jake

        If the plan was to trade-down from the first, then they only lost one year of club control (4 years vs. 3 years left on Graham’s contract). Because, the truth is – it doesn’t matter how a young a guy is, he can always go somewhere else in FA, so the young 22 year old draft pick, might leave the Seahawks as a 26 year-old (Like Maxwell and Tate). So Graham will be 31 after 3 years, 32 if he’s extended to 4 years… still within his prime.

  63. Cysco

    Clayton just confirmed that Unger was likely to be a cap casualty anyways.

    • Ehurd1021

      Not really surprised. You have to be available and Unger had three things working against him — age, injuries along with his salary. Like most I thought Unger was gone either way.

    • Beanhawk

      Yep. I am of the mindset that I would have traded Unger for a 4th-round pick and 3.4 million of cap savings straight up.

      And of course, a late first for Graham is a no-brainer in my book as well.

      • Matt

        Beanhawk- Agree completely. Missing out on Julius Thomas might just work out better for us, by keeping the future 3rd round compensatory pick. Oh and Graham is better than Thomas too. Win, win trade. Win forever!

    • lil'stink

      Not sure if this is the truth or Seattle just trying to spin things. We all know that Unger wasn’t going to be around much longer, but when healthy there was a large difference in play between him and his backups.

      • Jake

        Agreed about the drop-off from Unger to Patrick Lewis or Lem, but despite that difference – the drop-off from Jimmy Graham to Luke Willson is a whole lot steeper.

  64. matt509

    What people don’t realize is that the interior line is less important with a RB like Lynch. Seattle has never put much emphasis on the interior line either. I think if Lynch were to retire we wouldn’t have done this deal. Either way i’m not worried.

    • Steele1324

      But even Russell deserves far better blocking than he’s gotten.

      • matt509

        He deserves a target and he got one.

        • Turp

          Well said.

  65. bobbyk

    Liking life as a Hawks fan at the moment. We lost one of my favorite whipping boys today (Carp) and gained one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Good day indeed.

  66. Volume 12

    Alright, after watching some of that video on Jimmy and reading some articles on his childhood, I don’t know how we couldn’t root for him At least that’s what it did for me.

    Now I’m just hoping he meshes with the guys/our core in the locker room.

    I was glad that PC mentioned he plans on using Jimmy and Luke at the same time together, Very exciting.

  67. Ed

    I love it. He won’t be asked to block. He will be asked to make 3rd down and red zone catches. Have Bailey fill LG and Lewis at C (like we did at times last year) and we go into draft really needing a WR with return ability (Agholor/Dorsett). Round 3-5 2 OL to compete.

    11 months until redemption

    • Rob Staton

      For me this trade makes Ty Sambrailo a very possible round two pick. Either that or after a small move back into the third. Instant starter at LG.

      • Ed

        Would we need to move up in the 2nd to get Agholor or Dorsett, or do you see better options in 3rd with McBride and go OL in 2nd. What about Grassu in 3rd/4th (a C with zone blocking experience).

        We still have possibility to get Sheard, and if so, do we want that. Or keep the 3rd comp pick for Maxwell?

  68. j

    The thing is, we could be in the same cap area that we were to start the season. (Convert Jimmy’s 5MM roster bonus to a signing bonus, and that pushes 3.3MM into the future. Which helps mitigate the Cary Williams hit.

    That whole mid-sized FA on both sides of the ball thing is still in play.

    Still room to add Andre/Stevie Johnson and Jabal Sheard, pick up some cheap depth at OG.

    • Rob Staton

      Sheard would be a fantastic pickup. Shame he’s visiting the Pats first.

      • Steele1324

        That is bad news.

      • Cysco

        bummer, because it sounds like NE might have a good chunk of change to pay with if Revis goes to the Jets.

        • Jon

          we actually have a little more space than they do!

          • Jon

            Maybe not though, Depends on Browner, either way it is close.

      • Jon

        yeah, why could the hawks not jump in front of him first.

        • AlaskaHawk

          Brady won’t be around as long as Wilson

        • arias

          Because we’re no longer the defending champs.

  69. j

    Reading Schneider’s comments. Expressed praise for Helfet, Willson and McCoy. (No mention of Moeaki). Makes me think we might be in for a 4TE/5WR system, with Graham acting as a 6th WR of sorts.

    Baldwin, Andre Johnson, Tre McBride, Kevin Norwood, Chris Matthews/late round competition seems like a strong WR corps to me.

    Trading our first means we will miss out on that first wave of WR. Lots of good guys available in the 2nd/3rd range, but ideally we would add two+ WR this year. Sort of makes the need in FA more serious.

    • Steele1324

      We were going to miss the first wave of WRs anyway. Maybe three or four in rd 1.

      • j

        Yeah its more like the second wave. Devin Smith, Dorsett, Aghulor are all early second guys IMO. Which means we’ll be with wave three at best go get our top guy, and even worse if we want to add any more FA WR.

        Always a possibility of a trade up to the mid second to get in on that second wave though.

    • Trevor

      That would be a dream scenario!!!!

  70. kevin mullen

    My only concern would be when Graham’s on the field everyone will know its a passing play, when McCoy is on the field, it’s a running play. At least with Miller, it didn’t necessarily tip off the defense as he was used for both. Love JS/PC for keep trying, Harvin 2.0 or not, at least they’re trying to assemble rather than sitting back and watching it unfold.

    • peter

      I’ll believe it she I see it with McCoy but what I’m stoked for is Wilson and Graham in two TE sets.

      • kevin mullen

        agreed!

    • Steele1324

      This is a good point, and why my personal preference is always for TEs with total package talent. Besides Gronk, there aren’t many of these.

    • Turp

      Certainly didn’t affect the Saints offense that way, and we have the beast. Willson isn’t a great blocker either. Defenses will respect Graham anyway.

      • kevin mullen

        22 personnel with Willson and Graham will be fun to watch.

    • Milwaukee hawk

      You don’t take Jimmy Graham off the field for McCoy. Running play or not, Graham is on the field whether split out or at the line of scrimmage

      • kevin mullen

        I’m not saying that McCoy will spell Graham straight up but I’m sure if its 11 personnel and Graham’s in there that it’ll tip off more of a pass than run play. NO was never a running team, Graham didn’t have to block, in fact they’d split him out so that he doesn’t get stuck in that inside traffic. I’m concerned for that scenario but I still love this trade. I think it’s far better and less impactful (draft stock & cap wise) than the Harvin trade.

        Can’t wait for a 3 TE sets with Kears/Baldwin on the outside. I’m curious to see how Bevell will utilize a top TE for once.

        • arias

          I don’t find that assessment of Graham accurate at all when he was in on 549 snaps that were passing plays and 214 snaps as a run blocker this past season.

          • Jake

            When the Saints were winning, they were actually a high volume run offense as well. They used to do it by committee, but they did get a lot out of their running game despite Graham’s perception as a pass catcher only.

    • JeffC

      I don’t think this is true at all. Graham on the field will draw the FS from cheating in the box, and this should open up Lynch. This will also make the read option, and the read option play action devastating. If anything, the presence of Graham on the field will make the running game more devastating if they can find a good run blocking LG.

  71. Ho Lee Chit

    I expect we address the O Line in the next couple days. We never go into a draft with giant positions of need. We have depth on the O Line but now we definitely need quality competition for those jobs. PC alluded to ‘cap casualties’ as one way they can address the gap in our line.

  72. MoondustV

    Imagine the moods a Chinese SEA fan will be in after he had to get up and saw the news. I’m still shocked. So are my friends.

    I think I have to thank Saints office for extending Graham’s contract last year. In a era that Jeremy Maclin can earn $11M APY… This is a steal trade. Center position is the most worthless in O-Line. It seemed fine when Unger cannot play last season.

    A thumb for PCJS, at least Jimmy is bigger than Harvin.

    • MoondustV

      BTW, Revis rejoins the Jets.

      • Steele1324

        Is that confirmed?

        • MoondustV

          His agent just confirmed in Twitter. Adam Getlin from Yahoo! said that Revis is finding a team who can offer him $40M guaranteed money. Obviously NE cannot do that.

        • Ross

          All over twitter. Legit sources reporting.

    • j

      that is actually me. In Australia, I woke up, got into work at 7:30, did my morning news perusal. Was looking forward to see the deets on the Cary Williams deal.

      Instead…bam!

      • MoondustV

        Yeah, I have to pull off my class this morning to swallow this news.

    • arias

      The o-line did not seem ‘fine’ without Unger. 9 fumbles due to center-QB exchanges when Unger wasn’t in there. Fortunately Wilson recovered all of them by diving on top of the ball but it’s still a lost play.

  73. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Think of Graham as a move TE, H Back or the similar. He will rarely be on the line blocking.
    He would be able to flex out of the backfield, with Lynch behind him in an offset eye / eye formation.

    This should increase mismatches or dictate coverages against both the run and the pass.
    The offense should be more efficient overall and specifically in the red-zone.

    Good trade overall.

  74. Ross

    The first round pick is a bit rich but I still absolutely love this move. Forget overpaying for the third or fourth best tight end, we just nabbed one of the best offensive players in the whole league, and unloaded an oft-injured center that only had a year left on his contract in the process. Max Unger is a good player but I think it would have been wise to move on from him soon anyway. There are few triplets in the NFL that can match the one Seattle have just assembled.

    Plus, that fourth round pick means we’ve got three fourths, three fifths, and three sixths. Nine picks in Schneider’s favorite hunting ground, or enough capital to conceivably move up in the second.

    In terms of prosects, I think this makes Devin Smith or Philip Dorsett more appealing. Not that they weren’t already, but now we have the scope to go for a legitimate plug-and-play deep threat. Smith has the size to contribute all over the field, potentially. We’d still have the chance to add a Waller or McBride later.

    Of course, now we need a center. Seems like we can draft a starting caliber one in the middle rounds, if the success in Green Bay, Cincinnati and New England is anything to go by.

  75. bobbyk

    This trade is actually a GIGANTIC rip-off! The Saints totally got taken to the woodshed and severely beaten. They didn’t actually lose a pick. Sure, it would be nice to have a higher pick, but with the depth in this draft – a early/mid 4th round pick is actually pretty decent, too. Clayton reported that Unger would have been a cap casualty AND we just landed the best (or tied) red zone threat in the NFL. We have been complaining about this for quite some time and now this doesn’t exist anymore.

    It’s also just being reported that A. Johnson has his list down to the Colts and Seahawks.

    • Ho Lee Chit

      Andre Johnson is visiting Seattle tonight according to John Clayton. My! We could have an awesome offense if we added Johnson and Graham.

      • Steele1324

        This morning, I had written off AJ to the Colts and mentally moved on. I am more interested in them landing Sheard than AJ.

        • bobbyk

          Not that I would complain if we landed AJ, but I really want Sheard the most.

          • SunPathPaul

            If we can get AJ too, dude. our new WR’s would have a mentor, and RW would be on fire!

      • Rob Staton

        I can’t see it. Nowhere else reporting this and he seemed to have made a pact with Gore to go to Indy.

        • MoondustV

          Danny 710ESPNSeattle ‏@DDMon710
          Per @ESPNClayton: Finalists for Andre Johnson are #Colts and #Seahawks. Indianapolis will host Johnson first, expected there tonight.

          Maybe this is the source.

          • Rob Staton

            I think he’ll sign with the Colts.

            • arias

              Me too. Seahawks are in there to provide leverage and hedge against Indy offering him next to nothing.

  76. lil'stink

    The more I think about it the more I’m at ease with this move. My main concern is Graham’s cost, and how will it alter our ability to retain our guys outside of Wagner and Wilson.

    I still think we need more pass rush, and that will be a huge factor if we are to get another Lombardi. I can’t imagine we land Sheard at this point, which is a huge bummer.

    • arias

      You seriously think Schneider would have traded for Graham if there was any risk at all of losing Wilson or Wagner due to cap concerns? Not bloody likely.

  77. Colin

    The draft will now be centered around DB, OL and DL. Bank on it.

    • Rob Staton

      They will still add a receiver or two IMO as well. They’d be daft not to. Huge value in the middle rounds and they need a kick returner.

      I’ve put a new post on the blog about the impact of the Graham trade on the draft.

      • Steele1324

        Do they even need Andre Johnson?

        • Rob Staton

          Not for me, not with this draft class.

        • Attyla the Hawk

          Need? No. But getting him alleviates pressure to add more early.

          Seattle needs probably 2 additions to the WR group. Preferably one to take the #2/#1 role. One to take the #6/punt return role.

          Honestly, this group of 6 probably could use upgrades at 5 of them. Johnson would go a long way to doing that.

          Imagine, adding Johnson, McBride, Lockett/Hardy as PR. You’ve transformed what was a league average group into a potentially special group.

          And you’d still have relatively early draft stock to add to OL/DL

          • Steele1324

            I really don’t think they need A Johnson, especially if he is asking for too much. He’s lost a step.

            If they come into camp with, say, three— the likes of Devin Smith/Agholor/Dorsett, or even DGB or Funchess. Then Kenny Bell/McBride/Conley/Waller, and lower down, even in UDFA, Rannell Hall/Isaac Blakeney/Deandre Smelter/Deontay Greenberry, they will have an explosive, transformed offense. Baldwin and Kearse would be forced to compete with these guys. And then Jimmy Graham is there, too? That is sick.

            How important is it to have AJ there as a veteran mentor?

            • Steele1324

              And there is Matthews. And what to do with PRich, Norwood. Suddenly. the Hawks have more WRs than they know what to do with.

              • arias

                Looks like Kearse is really the odd man out. Doesn’t have the equivalent ceiling to make it a competition with the other guys.

  78. JeffC

    The beauty of this trade is that seattle gets to draft any WR it wants and doesn’t need to reach for a tall playmaker. It even gives more flexibility to experiment with Chris Matthews on the field. It does force a pick for a lineman, but we knew that they would have to go there anyway.

    Since NO was in cap hell, I think this is a win win trade for both teams, and allows NO to start rebuilding. For us, I was honestly thinking we were a possible 10-6 team next season, but who can match up to this roster?

    Clearly we’re back to being the sb favorites this season. Finally, for the first time, I’m feeling some football energy after that terrible super bowl.

  79. Dumbquestions

    Well.

    Watching this past glorious season (up to the final play) my perpetual frustration always came back to what the Hawks did when they HAD to throw. Because when they had to throw, it was a perpetual heart attack. You hoped, you crossed your fingers, you watched RW run around, and you hoped for something good. It happened just enough, but not enough to ease the stress. The margins for error were too great.

    In the red zone, on long third downs, in passing situations – it didn’t matter. The adventure was on, and frequently, the ending was bad. Too often, they couldn’t close when they had to.

    Graham, whatever his faults (and he has them), changes that dynamic. In this recent run, The Hawks simply haven’t had that big target, which appears to be the missing piece in a functional design. Think how good they’ve been without that piece. You begin to see how good the defense really is.

    Graham probably is soft, whatever that means. He doesn’t block – but that’s not his game. Gronk is tremendous, but his injury history is far worse than Graham’s. Graham might be a head case – OK, we have a few of those. But look, he’s going to SCORE, and that’s been the biggest problem for the offense.

    I talked with a friend today who said RW doesn’t throw the types of passes where Graham makes his money. Responding, I said RW didn’t make that throw because he had no one to throw to. RW has never had a true money target. Now he has one. Surely that makes a difference. I love Unger, and I’m sorry to see him go, and I hear the perpetual lament about the O-line, but it seems that the Hawks have great faith in Cable’s ability to spin straw into gold. It seems that they think they can be good enough with a line made from spare parts. And face it – they had the #1 rushing offense with a supposedly mediocre line.

    Anyone who argues that Graham isn’t an elite offensive weapon is just wrong. He is a fantasy beast. And again, we’ve never had that kind of weapon before. I agree with JeffC:

    “Graham on the field will draw the FS from cheating in the box, and this should open up Lynch. This will also make the read option, and the read option play action devastating. If anything, the presence of Graham on the field will make the running game more devastating if they can find a good run blocking LG.”

    The offense *must* spell the defense, which is still elite, but getting a wee bit older. They must have relief. I still see the option for another WR – maybe Bowe, if not Andre Johnson. I enjoy Kearse – let’s put it that way – but he doesn’t scare defenses. I am puzzled by Rob’s dislike for Johnson, an efficient player and a solid character guy who craves a championship. I understand the age factor, and I agree AJ is more likely to sign with Indy, which would be a great fit, but Rob hasn’t clearly explained his distrust of the option. I’d like to hear it.

    • Steele1324

      Graham is accustomed to catching passes from a short QB. Russ hasn’t mastered the art like Brees, but he will get better. He can make the kind of passes that are suited to Graham, and will only get better as they develop chemistry.

      As for the knock that Jimmy is soft, besides having problems with the LOB and Kam Chancellor, the same problems every offense has, I don’t see it. He’s a receiver, and he makes plenty of contested catches.

      Personality? I don’t see issues that would prevent him from being a teammate. Unlike Cary Williams, a much more dicey locker room addition.

      • arias

        I have to imagine any residual softness will get beaten down and stamped out by the LOB in practice scrimmages.

  80. Dumbquestions

    It’s hard not to picture the last play of the Super Bowl with Graham instead of Lockette.

    • Steele1324

      Even Matthews or Luke Willson instead of Lockette.

      • arias

        Matthews yes. I saw enough polished wide receiver skills out of Matthews that day to believe he would have been good running a slant or a fade there. Whether he had gotten reps in preparation to play a role like that is another issue entirely.

        But Luke Wilson trying to corral a slant while being challenged by defenders in traffic? I can think of plays that give the team a better shot at that point in the game.

    • Robert

      You can have that mental movie. Mine is all about destroying the Patriots in 50!

      • arias

        Patriots with no Revis will find it especially challenging to even return to the SB to defend their title.

  81. Lenny James

    Ilove the idea of a LB pick. Specifically a MLB. Maybe even a 2 nd or 3rd prospect. A lil B Wagner Insurance. IDK if we could get the same value in the later rounds. I love B Wagner but it seems were going to run out of cap space pretty soon. Russ, Wags, Irvin, Okung contracts all coming up. I like the Graham trade but at what sacrifice? We just took over a 40 million contract from the Saints.

    Rob, what does this LB class look like this year?

    • Rob Staton

      “Rob, what does this LB class look like this year?”

      Very poor.

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑