Seahawks land TE Jimmy Graham in deal with Saints

KIRKLAND, Wash. — The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a blockbuster deal that will send tight end Jimmy Graham to the two-time defending NFC champions.

The Saints will receive two-time Pro Bowl center Max Unger and a fourth-round pick in exchange for Graham and the Seahawks’ 31st pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, as first reported by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

It is a bold move by the Seahawks, who released veteran tight end Zach Miller last week. They have been seeking to upgrade the position for some time, and reportedly attempted to land Julius Thomas from Denver and Cleveland’s Jordan Cameron before the trade deadline last season.

Graham had 85 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and has averaged 88.6 catches for 1,099 yards and 11.5 touchdowns over the past four seasons. By comparison, wide receiver Doug Baldwin led the Seahawks with 66 catches and 825 yards last season, and running back Marshawn Lynch led the team with four receiving touchdowns. Luke Willson was the team’s leading receiver at tight end with 22 catches for 362 yards and three touchdowns.

The Seahawks know Graham well. He was limited to three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown in a 34-7 loss at Seattle in 2013, then caught only one pass for eight yards in a 23-15 postseason loss at Seattle just six weeks later.

Before the game, Graham was warming up on the wrong side of the field and engaged in some trash talking with Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin.

“I asked him politely, I said ‘We’re about to warm up,’” Irvin said. “He said, ‘I’m Jimmy.’ I’m like, ‘Who is Jimmy?’ That’s when I hit the ball out of his hands and kicked it across the field.”

Graham later got into a jawing match with All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.

“He said he was going to run us over or something. Heh heh,” Sherman said after the game.

“It’s hard coming in here talking a big game. It’s hard, it’s hard. It’s a lamb coming to the wolves and throwing meat at them.”

Graham is now a teammate charged with helping the offense upgrade its productivity to complement the league’s top defense. Graham signed a four-year, $40 million contract last offseason and is signed through 2017. He will earn just $2.9 million in base salary this season but will count $8 million against the salary cap with a $5 million roster bonus and $100,000 workout bonus.

Graham will count $9 million against the cap in 2016 and $10 million in 2017. The Seahawks have been negotiating a long-term contract with quarterback Russell Wilson, who has one year remaining on his rookie deal, but it is possible Wilson could play out the final year of the contract.

In Unger, the Saints receive a two-time Pro Bowl center (2012-13) who has struggled with injuries. Unger turns 29 next month and has missed 13 regular-season games over the past two seasons.

He will count $4.5 million against the Saints’ salary cap this season and $4.5 million in 2016 in the final year of his four-year, $25.835 million contract.