Report: Graham expected to leave Seahawks, draw interest from Saints

Jimmy Graham is expected to leave the Seattle Seahawks in free agency despite head coach Pete Carroll expressing his hope that the team will re-sign the tight end, sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The New Orleans Saints - who traded Graham to Seattle in 2015 - are expected to be among the potential suitors for the 31-year-old.

The Seahawks currently have around $13 million in cap space, and would likely still struggle to submit a competitive offer for Graham even after making some cost-cutting moves.

"I'd love to keep him," Carroll said of Graham on Thursday, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. "We love Jimmy. We love what he did (in three seasons with Seattle). He had a very effective year for us last year. We'd love to have him back. We'll see how it goes and see how the competition is for him."

Graham caught 10 touchdowns in 2017, but struggled outside of the red zone, averaging 9.1 yards per catch and finishing with 520 receiving yards.