Yahoo Finance Jimmy Graham jumps from Packers to Bears on two-year, $16 million deal
Jimmy Graham is jumping sides in the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears rivalry, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Bears.
Jimmy Graham to the Bears on a two-year, $16 million deal, including $9 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
Graham basically confirmed the news a few hours later with an interesting post on Twitter.
— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) March 17, 2020
The Packers cut Graham on Thursday, unceremoniously ending a tenure in Green Bay that was underwhelming for all involved.
Hyped as a devastating red zone weapon for Aaron Rodgers to play with, Graham totaled only five touchdowns in two seasons for the Packers while averaging 33.8 receiving yards per game. He remained his usual self in the blocking game, which is to say nonexistent.
With $8 million in cap space up for grabs, cutting Graham was a no-brainer for Green Bay.
Bears TEs did little last year
Graham will join a team that didn’t make much use of the tight end position last year.
Not a single tight end topped more than 100 receiving yards in Chicago last season, with J.P. Holtz leading the group at 91 yards. The team’s top two names, 2018 free agent acquisition Trey Burton and former second-rounder Adam Shaheen, both finished the season on injured reserve.
The Bears’ strategy to remedy that was apparently to stock up on more tight ends than any team in the league.
The Bears now lead the NFL in tight ends under contract:
Jimmy Graham
Trey Burton
Adam Shaheen
Demetrius Harris
Ben Braunecker
Jesper Horsted
J.P. Holtz
Eric Saubert
Dax Raymond— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) March 16, 2020
Who will be throwing to Jimmy Graham in Chicago?
Adding Graham likely does little for the Bears in the long run. The far bigger question is who will be throwing to that enormous stable of tight ends, and there are plenty of ways that could go.
Former second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky has made it quite clear that he’s not a quarterback who can take the Bears to the promised land. The team could sign free agent Teddy Bridgewater, and there has also been chatter about trading for Andy Dalton or Nick Foles.
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