The news may go from bad to worse for Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints. Today, Graham will have an MRI on a foot injury that he sustained during the Saints' 30-27 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Patriots constatnly shadowed the league's best tight end all afternoon, and were able to hold him without single catch.
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Regardless of his performance against New England, Graham is the most dangerous receiving threat at Drew Brees' disposal, and any time spent on the sidelines would be a tremendous blow to the Saints offense. Until his absence from the stat sheet against the Patriots, Graham had been on a record setting pace for touchdown catches, receiving yards, and catches for a tight end.
Through the Saints first five games, Drew Brees' favorite target had hauled in 37 balls for 593 yards and six touchdowns. The possibility of missing time would not only be detrimental to the Saints, but to Graham himself. Before the 2013 season, the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a long-term extension, thus leaving the door open for Graham to become a free-agent in the offseason.
Needless to say that the former NBA prospect is not your typical tight end. Given his level of production and role in Sean Payton's offense, it is likely that the Graham camp will negotiate his next contract based on the idea that he should be paid as if he were a wide receiver.
The Saints would have a hard time contesting that point, but any type of serious injury and drop in production would strengthen their position at the negotiating table. Stil, for the sake of this current season, both sides should hope that the MRI comes back negative.