5 Teams That Should Sign Franchise Tagged Jimmy Graham to Offer Sheet

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5. Arizona Cardinals

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This might not be the smartest move considering Carson Palmer’s age and the eventual need to replace him under center, but the Arizona Cardinals have a strong defense and narrowly missed out on the postseason last year. Adding a weapon like Jimmy Graham into the equation with Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd would make a running game pretty much irrelevant. Given that the Cardinals are picking in the middle to latter stages of Round 1, this certainly is an option to utilize those picks.

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4. Miami Dolphins

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New Miami Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey has already made fans happy by locking up Brent Grimes, but imagine the positive PR he would get from dealing for Jimmy Graham. Dustin Keller blew out his knee in the preseason last year and never got to provide developing quarterback Ryan Tannehill with an adequate check-down target. Mike Wallace and the spending spree this team already went on a year ago lessens the likelihood of such a deal happening, but Miami picking in the middle of Round 1 and beyond makes it at least worth considering.

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3. Green Bay Packers

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Now we’re getting into the teams a bit more likely to make a serious play for Jimmy Graham. The Green Bay Packers have been a playoff team with Aaron Rodgers under center, but his lack of weapons really caught up to them last season. Randall Cobb still provides the shifty target, but a go-to tight end would really take this offense to the next level. Jermichael Finley’s uncertain injury situation combined with his expiring contract make the probability of him returning quite low. The Packers have some cap space to work with whereas the Saints have very little wiggle room. This one’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.

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2. New England Patriots

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Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were firing on all cylinders offensively when both Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski were on the field together. The former is now incarcerated and the latter is never healthy, but if Jimmy Graham and Gronk – the NFL's two best tight ends hands down – were on the field at the same time, needless to say Brady would be a happy camper. As always, the Pats are in decent financial shape which could pose problems for the cap-strapped Saints. An offer sheet could be coming if Bill Belichick really wants to milk one last championship out of Tom Terrific.

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1. Seattle Seahawks

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The rich really could get richer this offseason, and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks would be an absolutely ideal fit for Jimmy Graham. The team has a moderate amount of salary cap space and could certainly make more if they acquired Graham by cutting current tight end Zach Miller. Just imagining Percy Harvin, Marshawn Lynch and Graham on the field simultaneously has to be quite an enticing proposition for signal-caller Russell Wilson. Talk about building a dynasty – a move like this would set the Seahawks up for one of the greatest eras in league history.

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