Jimmy Graham traded to Seattle Seahawks
RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks' search for a tight end has landed Jimmy Graham.
The Seahawks and New Orleans Saints agreed to a trade Tuesday sending Graham to Seattle in exchange for a first-round draft pick and veteran center Max Unger, pending a physical.
Adding pass catching options for Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to be an offseason priority. But rather than going into free agency, the Seahawks went after one of the top pass catching tight ends in the league. Graham has caught at least 85 passes each of the past four seasons in New Orleans, and two seasons ago had 1,215 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.
Unger has been Seattle's starting center since his rookie season, but has been slowed by injuries. Unger played just six regular-season games last year.
Fox Sports first reported the trade discussions.
CBSSports.com reports that Graham had his $2.9 million base salary and $5 million roster bonus for the 2015 season become guaranteed last week.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Saints called rival executives to shop many of their players recently, including Graham.
It's been a busy offseason in the NFL with multiple stars switching teams. As CBSSports.com summed up on Twitter: