The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a trade sending Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round draft pick to Seattle for center Max Unger and the 31st pick in the 2015 draft, the teams announced.
The trade is pending passed physicals by both players.
Graham, 28, is regarded as one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL, a player who often lines up as a wide receiver. He has 4,752 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns since entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2010. In his five seasons with the Saints, Graham had more receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than any other tight end in team history.
“We would like to thank Jimmy for all that he has done for our organization for the last five seasons,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement. “He became a very productive tight end with our team. We wish Jimmy the best of luck in the future. We also want to welcome Max to our team. Max has been an instrumental Pro Bowl player with Seattle since being drafted in 2009 in the second round. In addition, with the first round draft pick, we will have the opportunity to impact our team for years to come.”
Saints quarterback Drew Brees was taken aback by the move, telling the NFL Network: “I’m as shocked as everyone else. I love the guy.”
Information from Espn.com and The NFL Network contributed to this report.