Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played only one year of college football for the Miami Hurricanes after playing four years of basketball. Graham was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears.
In his second season in the NFL, Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. That year, he made his first Pro Bowl appearance and was selected as an All-Pro player at his position. Graham became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He set the Saints franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season. Graham is second all-time for most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end in a single season.
In only three seasons, Graham set the Seahawks franchise record for the most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns at the tight end position.
Graham was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina to a black father and a white mother. Graham had a difficult upbringing. At age 11, his mother placed him in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children. In high school, with help from a church youth counselor who took him in and eventually adopted him, Graham improved his grades and became a basketball star. Graham first attended Eastern Wayne High School in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He transferred his sophomore year and attended Community Christian in Wilson, North Carolina. He then played at Charis Prep in Wilson, North Carolina, his junior and senior years, and would earn a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.
Graham played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team under head coach Frank Haith from 2005 to 2009. Graham graduated from Miami in May 2009 with a double major in marketing and management, then stayed at Miami to take graduate classes while playing a season of football. In 2009, he played tight end and finished the season with 17 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns in appearances in 13 games.
According to scouts, Graham was "extremely athletic, with an outstanding combination of size and speed for the tight end position," yet he was considered very raw since he only had one year of college football experience.
New Orleans Saints (first stint)
Graham was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round (95th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He signed a four-year, $2.445 million rookie contract on July 28, 2010.
As a rookie, Graham started in only five games, playing behind veteran tight end Jeremy Shockey. During Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, his first NFL game in his home state, Graham caught a 19-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees to score his first career NFL touchdown, contributing to a 34–3 road victory. During Week 15, against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15, Graham recorded two receiving touchdowns for his first multi-touchdown game in the 30–24 loss. In the next game against the Atlanta Falcons, he scored the go-ahead touchdown late during the 17–14 victory.
Graham finished the season with 31 catches for 356 yards and five touchdowns. Graham led all National Football Conference (NFC) rookie tight ends in major receiving categories.
Graham started the season with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown in a 42–34 loss to the Green Bay Packers on NBC Thursday Night Football. In Week 3, a 40–33 victory over the Houston Texans, he had four receptions for 100 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown for his first game reaching the century mark. The next week, he recorded 10 receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown in the 23–10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the following game, a 30–27 victory over the Panthers, he recorded eight receptions for 129 yards. He recorded his fourth straight game with at least 100 receiving yards in the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with seven receptions for 124 receiving yards in the 26–20 loss. He recorded six receptions for 54 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the next game against the Indianapolis Colts, a 62–7 victory. Overall, in the 2011 season, his first full year as a starter, Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl. He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He set the franchise record for receptions in a season while tying Marques Colston in 2007 and Joe Horn in 2004 for the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season. During the Saints' Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers, Graham broke Kellen Winslow's NFL record of 1,290 receiving yards in a season by a tight end. However, the record was broken later that day by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who finished the season with 1,327 yards. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2011 season. In addition, he was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus.
The Saints finished with a 13–3 record and won the NFC South. In the Wild Card Round against the Detroit Lions, Graham finished with seven receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in the 45–28 victory. In the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, Graham had a fourth-quarter 66-yard touchdown to give the Saints the lead, but the Saints ultimately lost 36–32 on a last-second 49ers touchdown pass. Graham finished with five receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. After the season, Graham was ranked 14th overall by his peers in the 2012 NFL Top 100 annual player poll, which ranks the 100 best players in the NFL based on votes from NFL players and coaches.
Graham started the 2012 season with three consecutive games with a touchdown, all losses for the Saints. With the touchdown in Week 3, Graham tied a franchise record with Dalton Hilliard and Pierre Thomas for most consecutive regular games with a touchdown with six, dating back to the prior season. In Week 10, against the Falcons, he had seven receptions for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns in the 31–27 victory. For his efforts against the Falcons, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In the regular season finale against the Panthers, he had nine receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown in the 44–38 loss. Overall, Graham finished the season with 85 receptions for 982 yards and nine touchdowns.
In Week 2, a 16–14 victory over the Buccaneers, Graham had ten receptions for a career-high 179 yards and a touchdown. In the following game, a 31–7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he had nine receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Cardinals. His hot streak continued in the next game against the Miami Dolphins when he had four receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the 38–17 victory. For his great performances in the month of September, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors. He became the Saints first tight end to earn a Player of the Month nomination in franchise history. He recorded his fourth consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards in the 26–18 victory over the Chicago Bears with 10 receptions for 135 yards. His four consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards tied an NFL record for tight ends. However, in the next game against the Patriots, he was targeted six times but did not record a reception in the loss. He was able to rebound in the next game against the Buffalo Bills with three receptions for 37 yards and two touchdowns in the 35–17 victory. In the following game, a 26–20 loss to the New York Jets, he had nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns. During the second divisional matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Graham became known for his trademark touchdown celebration where he would slam dunk the football over the goalpost, a reference to his basketball background. He infamously bent the goalpost celebrating his touchdown against the Falcons. Prior to the 2014 season, the NFL banned goalpost dunks and made it punishable as "unsportsmanlike conduct," which results in a penalty and a fine. Graham became the first player penalized under the new rule and was fined $30,000 for dunking during the preseason game against the Tennessee Titans in August 2014. On December 8, against the Carolina Panthers, Graham recorded his fifth game with two receiving touchdowns on the season in the 31–13 victory. In the 2013 season, Graham recorded 86 receptions for 1,215 yards and a league-leading 16 receiving touchdowns. He received numerous accolades for his successful 2013 season. He was named to the Pro Bowl, earned First Team All-Pro Honors, and was ranked tenth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.