After more than a decade in the NFL, former All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham is hanging up the cleats.
Graham, who hasn’t played since 2023, confirmed that he’s retiring as a member of the New Orleans Saints, with whom he became one of the premier players at his position.
What a journey https://t.co/X0z96EUfdy
— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) July 22, 2025
Many people do not know this, but Jimmy Graham used to play basketball at the University of Miami. He was drafted by the Saints in 2010, one year after their Super Bowl triumph. It took little time
for Graham to become a force in the league, recording 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011.
Seattle Seahawks fans know the next part of this story by now. After a loss in which they became the only team in Super Bowl history to throw 0 passes to tight ends, Seattle acquired Graham in a blockbuster trade, sending center Max Unger and a first-round pick to New Orleans in return. While Graham never put up the same gaudy numbers he had with the Saints (which was never going to happen in a lower-volume passing attack), he’s still the all-time leader among Seahawks tight ends in receptions (170), yards (2,048), and touchdowns (18). Those numbers would’ve been even better if not for a patella tendon rupture midway through 2015, which Graham did a phenomenal job to recover from and play the full regular season slate over the next five seasons.
After leaving Seattle in the 2018 offseason, Graham played with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, was out of the league in 2022, then returned for a brief reunion with the Saints in 2023. In more recent times, Graham was part of a new record for days needed to row across the Arctic Ocean. Some feat for the licensed pilot to hit the chilly waters instead of take to the air!
Graham ends his NFL career with 719 catches for 8,545 yards and 89 touchdowns. Only Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Rob Gronkowski have more career TDs at the TE position.
Happy retirement, Jimmy!
2017: Russell Wilson and the Seahawks defeated Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans in a shootout 41-38. Both Watson and Wilson threw for over 400 yards and had 4 passing touchdowns. Jimmy Graham caught the game winning touchdown with 21 seconds left to go in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/bT2eKmx21k
— hoopsjunky (@hoopsjunky54491) October 29, 2024
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