Chicago Bears tight end Jimmy Graham was recently in question when it came to one particular agent.
The Chicago Bears and their tight ends are always a popular topic amongst fans and the media. When you have a tight end group as bad as it was in 2019, people are going to talk.
Add in the fact that general manager Ryan Pace is turning the tight end into the kicking situation of 2019, at times having double-digit tight ends on the roster, and you’ll hear a few snickers here and there. It’s a running joke that will never die — that is, unless Pace proves to be a genius by either signing Jimmy Graham or drafting Cole Kmet.
The former might not be in the cards, barring a brand-new Graham that we haven’t seen in about six years — and that’s exactly where a certain NFL agent finds his opinion unfolding when it comes to the Bears’ free agent signing.
This specific agent told Ben Standig of The Athletic that he thinks there was “no way” another team offered Graham the kind of money Chicago did.
“Did they watch his tape? That was a shocking contract to me.”
Chicago Bears brass spent quite a chunk of money on the 33-year-old Graham.
Graham, who spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, signed a 2-year deal with Chicago back at the start of the 2020 free agency period. The deal is worth a total of $16 million with $10 million guaranteed.
This agent, when speaking on Graham, mentioned his tape. Overall, the tape supports what was said. The $16 million was far too much for an aging tight end whose best days came when Graham’s athleticism was at his peak. Now turning 34 years old in November, Graham is no longer the downfield threat we saw when he was in New Orleans.
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I might attempt an argument with this agent that Graham wasn’t used as much as he would have liked in Green Bay. In 2016 and 2017 with the Seattle Seahawks, Graham was targeted a total of 191 times and caught 16 touchdowns. He was a Pro Bowl selection each of those years, despite his yardage averaging out near 700 yards per season.
Going to Green Bay at a time where the Packers decided to commit more to the run with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams wasn’t exactly going to help continue that trend for Graham. He was used less, but there were some flashes of Graham still being able to make plays after the catch.
Still, the money is the big sticking point. In my mind, Graham is going to be cut next season. The Bears will let Kmet take over next year while probably also adding another tight end via the draft or free agency, simply out of necessity for depth at the top of the order at tight end.
For this season, we’ll see if Graham can silence the many, many critics he’s seen slamming his deal with the Bears.