Drew Brees on Jimmy Graham trade to Seahawks: 'I think it shocked all of us'
The New Orleans Saints engineered one of the most shocking trades in recent NFL history on the opening day of free agency, shipping three-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks.
New Orleans received center Max Unger and the Seahawks' 2015 first-round pick in return, but it did little to alleviate the numbness of losing the team's best weapon in the passing game.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees did not comment on the transaction immediately, as the franchise planned to restructure the offense without Graham.
Brees finally spoke Thursday about his relationship with the star tight end and how the move came as a massive surprise to him.
"I think it shocked all of us," Brees said on WWL Radio in New Orleans, according to ESPN's Pat Yasinskas. "A lot of crazy things happened, though, during the course of free agency for a lot of different teams. Unfortunately, you've been around long enough, you see some of these things happen at times.
"If anything it shows the confidence our organization has in the young players, especially the young skill players on offense, just feeling like those are guys that now have a chance to step up and fill a big void and fill a big role and continue to progress forward."
Graham caught 85 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Although there have been concerns about his shoulder, Graham started every game for the Saints over the past two years.
Brees, the unquestioned leader of the Saints, will have to find a way to lead the team back to playoff contention without Graham.
The nine-time Pro Bowler sounds as if he's still trying to comprehend the loss of his top target.
"Jimmy was like a brother to me," Brees said. "He was close to so many guys on the team. That part of it is something that people lose track of. As a football player, he's a rare, rare talent. Not having a guy like that on the field with you is a difference-maker.
"Just the relationships that you build in the locker room, that’s really the part that's the hardest, just because you're used to being around each other and the way your families do things together. You build a relationship and you become very close. But then, things happen and all of the sudden you're on a different team. It doesn't change the way we feel about each other.
"We're just not going to see each other all that often."