When the New Orleans Saints drafted Jimmy Graham he was a basketball player. Sean Payton had a plan for him, and when he arrived, he built a lifelong friendship with quarterback Drew Brees.
Jimmy Graham spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. The news of the trade hit Drew Brees hard, as one of his favorite playmakers left for the Pacific Northwest. Still, the two have always remained close.
An unbreakable bond between brothers in NOLA
Sean Payton selected Jimmy Graham in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. It was an incredibly bold move considering he had just 17 catches to his name at the college level.
Graham had played basketball for four seasons at the University of Miami, but after deciding to stay one more year for academic reasons, he opted to play a season of football.
His natural fit was to play the role of an athletic pass-catching tight end, and those 17 catches, five of which were touchdowns, were enough for Payton and the New Orleans Saints to spend a third round selection on him.
Graham formed a tight-knit connection with Drew Brees, who had just won the Super Bowl with the franchise in the 2009 season. He caught five touchdowns as a rookie, primarily rotating in as a red zone threat, before he really took off in 2010.
Jimmy Graham posted 1,310 receiving yards in his second season in the league, while catching 11 touchdown passes. He became a crucial piece of the Saints’ offense, and in 2013, led the NFL in touchdown catches, with 16. He was named a first-team All-Pro and went to his second Pro Bowl with the franchise.
After being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in early 2015, Graham continued his impressive form. At his fifth and final Pro Bowl for the 2017 season, he was asked about reuniting with Drew Brees at the event.
“I was a young player there and he really kind of molded me. I remember coming in as a rookie and him telling me that I was going to be special, and I’m like, ‘huh? OK.’ He treated me like a little brother.”
Graham continued, speaking about Brees and his family in New Orleans:
“Really, it’s been awesome to see his family again and to really catch up. I love his boys, they’re just a bunch of fun. I used to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family, so to really connect with them and spend some time has been awesome. It’s been unbelievable to be able to talk to him about his year, it was special. He’s such a special mind, so that was good.”
Jimmy Graham was clearly touched by the support he received from the Saints’ all-time quarterback, who opened his home to the young tight end and had him over for Thanksgiving.
The former basketball star turned pro tight end caught 54 touchdown passes from Brees in New Orleans, second only to Marques Colston.
Drew Brees and the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Brees is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026, having retired at the close of the 2020 season. He spent 15 years as the franchise quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and accumulated over 80,000 passing yards during his career.
He’s the Saints’ all-time leading passer, with more than three times the passing yards of any other QB in franchise history, including Archie Manning.
Brees led the NFL in passing yards seven times and passing touchdowns four times. He was named to the Pro Bowl 13 times, while earning five All-Pro honors.
He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice and the Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, but his greatest achievement was winning the Super Bowl for the city of New Orleans, which desperately needed a success story in the years that followed Hurricane Katrina.
Brees is one of the icons of the city, and is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the 2026 class.
