Report: Seahawks not expected to re-sign Jimmy Graham

This perhaps isn’t a surprising report to read just one week out from the start of NFL free agency, but it’s news nevertheless.

NFL Network reported Tom Pelissero says that the Seattle Seahawks most likely will not bring back free agent tight end Jimmy Graham, ending a three-year spell with the team that didn’t live up to lofty expectations.

If this is the end for Graham in Seattle, his final stats (regular season only) are 170 catches for 2048 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 10 of them coming in 2017. His 2015 season ended in November with a catastrophic torn patellar tendon, but he bounced back strongly with 65 catches for 923 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2016. While 2017 saw him become the red-zone threat the Seahawks were looking for, he was among the league-leaders in dropped passes, and averaged a meager 9.1 yards per reception.

With Luke Willson also heading for free agency, Seattle could soon be down to just Nick Vannett as their only tight end, and he’s only been a minor contributor over his first two seasons. This quietly looks like a position of need for the Seahawks this offseason, whether through the draft or in the free agent market.