NFL Player News

Buccaneers tight end Timothy Wright was a pleasant surprise for an undrafted rookie, catching 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns. But he's limited as a blocker and might not be the long-term answer for Tampa Bay, reports ESPN.com.

The website says the Bucs must upgrade at the position and "bring in an all-purpose tight end through the draft or free agency."

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is facing a gaping roster hole due to Tony Gonzalez's retirement.

"I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Nobody replaces Tony Gonzalez,’’ Dimitroff said, per ESPN.com. "We’ve been very fortunate to have him on our team the last five years.

"As we continue to build this football team, we’re going to have to make sure that we have the right mix and the right amount of tight ends with blocking ability and tight ends with pass-catching ability. Every year, you’re going to find a unique mix of that talent, both on the free-agent side and the college side. And it’s no different this year.’’

The Falcons' remaining tight ends are  Levine Toilolo and Chase Coffman. Jermichael Finley, Dustin Keller and Dennis Pitta are among the tight ends scheduled to be unrestricted free agents.

The Saints' Jimmy Graham lined up next to a tackle only one-third of the time in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus. Graham lined up in the slot or out wide on the rest of his snaps. That could be significant if the Saints slap the franchise tag on Graham, an impending free agent.

New Orleans would owe Graham approximately $4.5 million more if he is classified as a wide receiver, not a tight end. However, quarterback Drew Brees told NBC Sports Radio that he considers Graham a tight end.

“He’s a tight end. We’re able to do a lot of creative things with him, just like we’re able to do with a lot of our offensive personnel," Brees said. "I feel like with Sean Payton, with our offensive system and we gear towards putting those guys in the best position to succeed according to their strengths. Jimmy Graham is six-seven, 270, he runs like a deer, he can jump and catch, he’s so strong and physical, he plays with great fire and passion, he can play the line, he can split out.”

Add prolific Saints tight end Jimmy Graham to the list of players who don't want to receive the franchise tag.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said he would rather reach a long-term deal with Graham, but might be forced to slap the franchise tag on him rather than allow him to walk in free agency.

"I'm not keen on the franchise tag," Graham told ESPN. "That would be really unfortunate. ... If that happens, it doesn't really matter what I prefer."

Graham has emerged as the most productive tight end in the game. He caught 86 passes for 1,215 yards and an NFL-best 16 touchdowns this season before getting shut down in a playoff loss to Seattle following a pre-game verbal skirmish with Seahawks players.

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew is the Lions' most prominent free agent, one of four starters heading for unrestricted free agency. The front office won't decide how to proceed until new coach Jim Caldwell's entire staff is in place, reports the Detroit Free Press.

“We need to sit down and talk with the coaching staff and see how we value guys that we have who are free,” Mayhew told the paper. “I think that we’re still in the process of discussing what we look like on offense, what we look like on defense and how that all comes together. So I think that’s a pretty important conversation to have.”

Mayhew said he's "not sure yet" whether the franchise tag would be an option for Pettigrew, 29. Pettigrew caught 41 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns, his lowest output since his rookie year of 2009. He wouldn't appear to be worth the tag, which projects as $6.7 million for tight ends.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the team will put the franchise tag on impending free agent Jimmy Graham if the sides can't agree on a long-term contract, reports WWL-TV in New Orleans.

Loomis added the team views Graham as a tight end, not a wide receiver.The difference between the franchise tag for tight ends and receivers was $4.5 million in 2013.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said rookie tight end Gavin Escobar, the 47th overall pick in the 2013 draft, wasn't used enough this season, reports the Dallas Morning News. Escobar caught nine passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns while playing just 206 snaps.

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."

Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, who underwent hip surgery in October, expects to be medically cleared in late February, reports the Herald Bulletin. Allen caught 45 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2012 before injuries limited him to one game this season.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham finished Saturday with more pregame altercations (two) than receptions (one). And he didn't even snag that one until 13 seconds remained in the game and his team was all but doomed.

Graham got into a pair of verbal confrontations with Seattle players before the game, then went out and laid an egg against the best secondary in the sport. He was targeted five times before finally catching an 8-yard pass with time running out.

Asked if Graham was trash talking during the game, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman replied, "A lot of swear words."