Well, apparently the Seahawks won’t have a quiet first day of the new league year.
In a stunning move, the Seahawks traded center Max Unger and their 2015 first-round pick to New Orleans for tight end Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round pick, a deal that has been agreed upon pending physicals.
The 6-foot-7 Graham has been one of the league’s most productive pass catching tight ends over the past four seasons, averaging 88.5 catches, 1,099 yards and 11.5 touchdowns per season since 2011.
Pete Carroll has long said how much he desires to get “touchdown makers” and Graham has definitely been that, but to get Graham the Seahawks are giving up the 31st pick in this year’s draft, as well as an All-Pro center.
What will also be interesting is to see how this trade plays out among current Seahawks players, and their defensive players in particular. Graham and several players, Bruce Irvin most notably, had a heated pregame exchange before Seattle and New Orleans’ playoff meeting two seasons ago, and Graham was called “soft” by defensive end Michael Bennett.
The move also leaves an obvious hole on Seattle’s offensive line. The Seahawks did get by with Unger injured for much of last season, filling the gap with a combination of Lemuel Jeanpierre, Patrick Lewis and Stephen Schilling. Lewis is the only of those three currently under contract, and while he played well filling in for Unger, the Seahawks are still losing one of the league’s best centers.
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