The Saints aren't going to let Jimmy Graham get away, but they have difficult decisions to make as they try to keep the All-Pro tight end at the best price.
New Orleans could work out a long-term deal with Graham, whose rookie deal is expiring. They could give him the franchise tag by March 3 or apply the tag in hopes of hammering out a long-term deal by the mid-July deadline, as they did with Drew Brees in 2012, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The paper notes the Saints sent Graham at least two contract offers leading up to this offseason, "but the two sides haven't had much dialogue on the matter." If New Orleans slaps the tag on him, Graham could argue he should be paid as a receiver because he often splits out wide. The difference between the tag for wideouts and tight ends was $4.5 million in 2013, according to ProFootballTalk.com.
Coach Sean Payton said the Saints will be in good shape despite their salary cap constraints. "We have smart fans," he said. "They're smart enough to understand that, just like we have in years past, we're going to make the decisions as best we can for our club moving forward and they're going to be able to read closely between the lines and understand that we're going to be in good shape."