NFL CAREER – New Orleans' third round draft choice in 2010 after playing four years of basketball and just one year of football at the University of Miami (Fla.). Graham broke out in his second year with the Saints totaling 99 catches for 1,310 yards with 11 touchdowns and went on to lead the team in receiving for four consecutive seasons. Graham's production has been among the top 10 in NFL history at the tight end position in all three major categories: receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns . Graham posts career totals of 713 receptions, 8,506 yards, and 85 touchdowns. His 85 receiving touchdowns rank 4th all time among NFL tight ends, while his 51 touchdowns as a Saint rank 2nd in franchise history. He and Kansas City's Travis Kelce are the only two tight ends in NFL history to have multiple seasons of 1200- plus receiving yards and 10- plus receiving touchdowns. Graham returns to New Orleans, the sight of his most personal and team success, after playing in seven campaigns with three other teams.
CAREER TRANSACTIONS – Signed to a one-year contract by the Saints , 7/25/23; Signed to a two- year contract with the Bears. 3/18/20; Released by the Packers, 3/12/2020; Signed to a three-year contract with the Packers (UFA-Sea.), 3/16/18; Placed by Seahawks on Injured Reserve, 11/30/15;Traded to the Seahawks in exchange for C Max Unger and a first round draft pick, 3/10 2015; Re-signed to a four- year contract by the Saints, 7/15/14; Designated franchise player by New Orleans, 3/3/14; Agreed to terms on a four-year contract with New Orleans, 7/28/10; Selected by the Saints in the third round (95th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
2021 - Appeared in 15 games with six starts totaling 14 receptions for 167 yards (11.9 avg.) and three touchdowns in second season in Chicago…Caught a season-long 28-yard pass at Pittsburgh, Nov. 8… Recorded a season-high 34 yards on two receptions and a touchdown against Detroit, Nov. 25…Posted two receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown in a win at Seattle, Dec. 26. 2020 - Appeared in all 16 games with 15 starts in his first season with Chicago; led the Bears with eight receiving touchdowns and was third on the team with 50 receptions for 456 yards…Walter Payton Man of the Year team nominee…Hauled in a season-high six catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns at Atlanta, Sept. 27…Posted six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown at Tennessee, Nov. 8…Recorded a season-high 69 yards on four receptions, including a season-long 30 yard reception to go along with two touchdowns at Jacksonville, Dec. 27. The two TD receptions marked his 17th career multi-touchdown game. Reeled in two passes for 25 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown reception in the NFC Wild Card Playoff loss at New Orleans, 1/10/21. 2019 - Appeared in all 16 games with ten starts in his final season with Green Bay Packers racking up 38 receptions for 447 yards (11.8 avg.) and three touchdowns…Posted a season-high six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown vs Philadelphia, Sept. 26…Recorded four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown against Detroit, Oct. 14…Played in both playoff games: Caught 3 passes for 49 yards in a divisional round victory against Seattle, 1/12/20…Had four receptions for 59 yards, including a long catch of 42 yards, in NFC Championship at San Francisco, 1/19/20. 2018 - Appeared in all 16 games with 12 starts in his first season with the Packers. Second on team with 55 receptions for 636 yards and two touchdowns…Recorded the ninth-most receiving yards and catches among NFL tight ends. Led the team in receiving with 95 yards on six catches against Minnesota, Sept. 16…Posted a season-high 104 yards on five receptions vs. San Francisco, Oct. 15, his first 100 yard receiving game since Nov. 7, 2016, against Buffalo when he was with Seattle; Season-high 54 yard grab at the end of the first quarter… Hauled in a season high eight receptions for 50 yards against Arizona, Dec. 2. 2017 – Played in all 16 games with 10 starts posting 57 receptions for 527 yards and 10 touchdowns in final season in Seattle…Led all NFL tight ends in TD receptions and earned fifth Pro Bowl selection…All 10 of his receiving touchdowns came inside the red zone, most in league… Recorded a season-high 72 yards on seven catches at Tennessee, Sept. 24… Hauled in two touchdowns on six receptions at Arizona, Nov. 9…Tied season-high with seven catches for 58 yards and one touchdown against Atlanta, Nov. 20. 2016 – Appeared in all 16 games with 15 starts, setting Seattle tight end records with 65 receptions for 923 yards…ranked No. 1 among NFL tight ends in yards per catch with a career-high 14.2 average and No. 3 in receiving yards…Tied for second among NFL tight ends with three games of 100-plus receiving yards…Was selected to his fourth career Pro Bowl…Started both playoff games totaling six receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown…Recorded six catches for 100 yards and a TD against San Francisco, Sept. 25…Eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the second straight game reeling in game highs with six catches and 113 yards at New York Jets, Oct. 2…Led the Seahawks with six receptions for 89 yards against Atlanta, Oct. 16…Posted a season-high eight catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns vs. Buffalo, Nov. 7, becoming the first TE in team history with eight-plus catches, 100-plus yards, and two TD catches in a game…Hauled in six passes for 63 yards and touchdown against Carolina, Dec. 4. 2015 – Started all 11 games he appeared in; his first season with the Seahawks was cut short due to a knee injury…Caught 48 passes for 605 yards and two TDs…Recorded six receptions for 51 yards and one TD in Seahawks debut at St. Louis, Sept. 13… Led team with seven receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown against Chicago, Sept. 27…Posted season-high eight catches and tied franchise single-game record for a tight end with 140 yards receiving vs. Carolina, Oct. 18… Team highs with seven receptions for 75 yards at Dallas, Nov. 1… Tied for second on the team with four catches for 75 yards including a 36 yard reception against Pittsburgh, Nov. 29. 2014 – Appeared in all 16 games with 13 starts…Led team in receiving for the fourth consecutive season and finished second in the NFL in receiving among tight ends with 85 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. Led the team with eight receptions for 82 yards in the season opener at Atlanta, Sept. 7…Tied his career-high with 10 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns at Cleveland, Sept.14. It was his 10th multiple touchdown game and his 13th career game with over 100 yards…Posted team-high eight receptions for game-high 86 yards and a TD at Dallas, Sept. 28…Finished second on team with five receptions for 59 yards and a 22 yard TD vs. Green Bay, Oct. 26…Posted game-highs with seven receptions for 83 yards with one TD at Carolina, Oct. 30…Led team and tied a career-high with 10 receptions for 76 yards and two TDs vs. San Francisco, Nov. 9…Hauled in six receptions for 47 yards and two touchdown grabs vs. Baltimore, Nov. 24…Tied for the team lead with five receptions for a game high 87 yards at Chicago, Dec. 15…Tied for team lead with six receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown vs. Atlanta, Dec. 21. Recorded 51st career touchdown, gaining sole possession of second place on team's all-time list. Became the first Saint to have three seasons with double-digit touchdown receptions…Started and led the team with a game-high six receptions for 54 yards in season finale win at Tampa Bay, Dec. 28. 2013 – Enjoyed one of the most prolific campaigns for a tight end in NFL history, leading the team in receiving for the third consecutive season with 86 receptions for 1,215 yards (14.1 avg.) with a team-record 16 touchdowns, the second-highest receiving touchdown total for a tight end all-time in NFL history, which led the NFL in scoring grabs and ranked second in scoring among non-kickers…Led tight ends in virtually every receiving category, while overall, ranked 13th in the NFL in receptions, 15th in receiving yardage and tied for 11th in third down receptions (25)…Also tied the club record for 100-yard receiving games (6), which was tied for most in NFL record books for a tight end...Started and hauled in four receptions for 45 yards and a TD in season-opening victory vs. Atlanta, Sept. 8…Started and finished with ten receptions for career-high 179 yards with one TD at Tampa Bay, Sept. 15…Started and caught nine passes for a game-high 134 yards and two TDs vs. Arizona, Sept. 22, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for first time in career…Capped month by hauling in four passes for 100 yards and two TDs as he became the first tight end to be named NFC Offensive Player of the Month, as his 413 receiving yards over the final three games of the month is tied with Shannon Sharpe (1996) and Dave Kocourek (1961) for highest total by a tight end in a three-game span…At Chicago, Oct. 6, hauled in ten receptions for 135 yards (13.5 avg.), as he tied NFL-record streak of four consecutive games with over 100-yards receiving by a tight end. 548 receiving yards during streak were the most by a tight end over any four-game span in a single season…Caught three passes for 37 yards and two TDs vs. Buffalo, Oct. 27…Started and posted nine receptions for 116 yards with two TD grabs to lead team in catches, yardage and TDs at New York Jets, Nov. 3…Caught five passes for 59 yards vs. Dallas, Nov. 10, as he became the club's all-time leader in receiving among tight ends…Started and caught a team-leading six passes for 41 yards vs. San Francisco, Nov. 17…Started and led team in receiving, catching five passes for 100 yards, including a 44-yard TD at Atlanta, Nov. 21. With sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season, tied a franchise record and also tied the NFL single-season mark for a tight end (Tony Gonzalez – 2000, 04)…Led team in receiving with 42 yards, while hauling in one TD to set a team-record with 12 scores on the season at Seattle, Dec. 2…Had six receptions for 58 yards with two TDs, also surpassing the 1,000 yards receiving mark for the second time in three seasons vs. Carolina, Dec. 8…Started and tied for the team receiving lead with five grabs for 73 yards, including a five-yard touchdown grab at Carolina, Dec. 22…Started and caught five passes for 71 yards and one touchdown in regular season finale vs. Tampa Bay, Dec. 29…Played in both postseason contests with one start and recorded four receptions for 52 yards (13.0 avg.). 2012 – Played in 15 games with nine starts and led the Saints in receiving for the second consecutive season with 85 receptions for 982 yards with nine TDs. Finished third on team in receiving yardage and second in touchdown receptions. Tied for 13th in the NFL in receiving, ranked third at his position. Among tight ends, yardage total ranked second and touchdown total tied for second. With at least one touchdown in the first three games, carrying over from the last three contests of 2011, Graham's six-game streak of touchdown receptions set a team record, while he tied for the longest streak in touchdowns. The six-game touchdown reception streak is tied for the second-longest among tight ends since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger…In the opener vs. Washington, Sept. 9, started and tied for team-lead with six receptions for 85 yards (14.2 avg.) with one touchdown…Started at Carolina, Sept. 16 and caught seven passes for 71 yards with one touchdown…Started and hauled in four receptions for 16 yards with one TD vs. Kansas City, Sept. 23…Made seven receptions for 76 yards at Green Bay, Sept. 30…Inactive due to ankle injury at Tampa Bay, Oct. 21…Returned to lineup at Denver, Oct. 28 and made five receptions for 63 yards with one touchdown…Vs. Philadelphia, Nov. 5, led team with eight receptions for 72 yards and one TD…Enjoyed most explosive game of career to date vs. Atlanta, Nov. 11, when he caught seven passes for 146 yards (20.9 avg.) and tied career-best with two touchdowns. Yardage total was the highest by a Saints tight end in a single game. Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for first time…Started and led the team in receptions with six catches for 29 yards and one TD at Oakland, Nov. 18…Caught four passes for 59 yards (14.8 avg.) at Atlanta, Nov. 29…Finished with five receptions for 56 yards at N.Y. Giants, Dec. 9…Started and recorded five receptions for 69 yards (13.8 avg.) vs. Tampa Bay, Dec. 16…Hauled in seven passes for 88 yards at Dallas, Dec. 23, but his biggest play was when he recovered a fumble by teammate Marques Colston in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal…In season finale vs. Carolina, Dec. 30, led team in receiving with nine catches for 115 yards and a TD. 2011 – Enjoyed the most prolific season by a TE in franchise history to date in all categories. Played in all 16 games with 11 starts, leading team in catches, yardage and scoring grabs with a then-club record 99 receptions for 1,310 yards (13.2 avg.) with 11 touchdowns as he was selected a Pro Bowl starter, second-team Associated Press All-Pro and the team winner of the Ed Block Courage Award. Receiving touchdown total was tied for first in club record books at the time, while yardage total ranked fourth. Yardage total was ranked second all-time in NFL history for tight ends, while receptions total tied for third and scoring grab total was then tied for eighth. Also set team record for a tight end with seven or more receptions in seven games and at least six in 10 contests and also set a club mark for all Saints by having at least 50 yards receiving in 14 games (now tied with Michael Thomas-2019). Contributed to an offense that produced an NFL-record 7,474 net yards and club record 416 first downs…In postseason, finished with 12 receptions for 158 yards (16.6 avg.) with a team-best three TDs…In NFL opener at Green Bay, Sept. 8, had four receptions for 56 yards, including a fourth quarter five-yard TD grab to put Saints within eight…Finished with six receptions for 79 yards (13.2 avg.) in home opener vs. Chicago, Sept. 18…Had first career 100-yard game, when he finished with four grabs for a team-best 100 yards (25.0 avg.) with one TD vs. Houston, Sept. 25. Fourth quarter 27-yard scoring grab ignited a 23-point fourth quarter…Set career-highs in catches (has equaled four additional times), yardage (since broken) and receiving long at Jacksonville, Oct. 2, when he grabbed ten balls for 132 yards (13.2 avg.), including a 59-yard grab, with one TD…Became the first Saints tight end to have three straight 100-yard games when he led New Orleans in receiving and yardage with eight grabs for 129 yards at Carolina, Oct. 9…Became the first Saint and only the second tight end since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have four straight games of 100 yards receiving when he had seven grabs for a game-high 124 yards at Tampa Bay, Oct. 16. This capped a four-game period where Graham had 29 receptions for 485 yards with two TDs…Caught two touchdowns as part of six receptions for 54 yards vs. Indianapolis, Oct. 23, his second career multiple-TD game…Finished with seven receptions for 82 yards, including a second quarter 21-yard scoring grab at Atlanta, Nov. 13…Had his second two-TD performance of the season and third of his career to date as he tied for the team lead with eight catches for 84 yards vs. New York Giants, Nov. 28…Caught eight passes for 89 yards on Sunday Night Football vs. Detroit, Dec. 4, to become the first Saints tight end to surpass 1,000 yards receiving…Posted five receptions for 55 yards at Tennessee, Dec. 11…Shook off an early fumble to record seven receptions for 70 yards with a second quarter one-yard TD grab at Minnesota, Dec. 18…Had four receptions for 42 yards, including a second quarter nine-yard TD grab near the end of the first half to give New Orleans a 21-10 halftime lead vs. Atlanta, Dec. 26. It was the tenth TD grab of the season for Graham, giving him the club record for a tight end…Vs. Carolina, 1/1/12, Graham had eight receptions for 97 yards and a TD. For a brief moment, Graham held the NFL record for receiving yards in a season by a TE (1,310) before New England's Rob Gronkowki caught a 23-yard pass in the final two minutes at Buffalo to up his season total to 1,327…In NFL postseason debut in the NFC Wild Card Playoff vs. Detroit, Graham's third quarter three-yard TD grab opened up a 24-14 lead. Tied for team lead in receiving with seven catches for 55 yards. Reception total was the highest by a Saints TE in a postseason contest…In the NFC Divisional Playoff at San Francisco, Graham finished with five receptions for 103 yards with two TDs, the latter two being franchise playoff records for a TE. Graham's 66-yard fourth quarter scoring reception, the longest for a Saints TE in a postseason contest, had given New Orleans a lead with under two minutes remaining in the contest…In the Pro Bowl, Graham finished with five receptions for 74 yards, including a second quarter two-yard TD pass from QB Drew Brees. 2010 – Appeared in 15 games with five starts and had 31 receptions for 356 yards with five touchdowns…Also had a three-yard rush and one special teams tackle…Reception and yardage total was ranked third all-time among Saints rookie tight ends and receiving TD total ranked second…Caught four of his TDs in a three-week span from weeks 15-17…Recorded one special teams stop and made an athletic play to save a ball on a punt from going out of bounds that was recovered by LS Jason Kyle to set up a TD vs. Atlanta, Sept. 26…Converted a third down with a three-yard rush vs. Carolina, Oct. 3…Made first career start in two-tight end set at Arizona, Oct. 10…Made his first career catch, an 11-yard grab at Tampa Bay, Oct. 17…Caught four passes for 38 yards and recovered a fumble on a Saints punt return and advanced ball 20 yards vs. Cleveland, Oct. 24…Started and had three receptions for 49 yards, including his first career touchdown, a 19-yard grab, at Carolina, Nov. 7…Filled in for an injured Jeremy Shockey and had five receptions for 72 yards vs. Seattle, Nov. 21…Caught three passes for 72 yards, including a career-long 52-yard grab to set up a field goal before halftime at Cincinnati, Dec. 5…Had five receptions for 29 yards, including 18-yard and one-yard TD grabs in his first multiple-score game at Baltimore, Dec. 19…Started in three-TE set and had game-winning six-yard TD with 3:24 left on Monday night at Atlanta, Dec. 27…Started and had two receptions for 15 yards, including a four-yard TD in regular season finale vs. Tampa Bay, 1/2/11, before departing with an ankle injury that would cause him to miss team's playoff game.
PERSONAL – Attended Charis Preparatory (Goldsboro, N.C.) Academy, where he played basketball, football, baseball and tennis…On the hardwood, earned All-American honorable mention from Street & Smith Magazine, in addition to garnering All-State and conference and team Most Valuable Player honors…As a senior, averaged 20.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game…During his junior season, grabbed 15.1 rebounds and scored an average of 18.2 points per game…Favorite basketball player is LeBron James…Earned his pilot's license in 2012; has earned several ratings and flies aerobatics, seaplanes and helicopters…The only two NFL games Graham had ever attended prior to being drafted by the Saints was a New Orleans-Oakland contest at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 12, 2008 and Super Bowl XLIV…Featured in a television program on USA Network in 2012 titled "NFL Characters Unite", where he mentors a New Orleans teenager in need…Hosted a youth football camp at the Tulane University campus in 2012…A former foster child, has provided both financial and in-person support to Boys Town Louisiana…Supported Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and the Toys for Tots program
