Jimmy Graham was sad when he thought he was traded to Oakland

Jimmy Graham is happy now, but when he first found out he was being traded away by the New Orleans Saints, his initial reaction was sadness. Not because he didn't want to play for the Seahawks -- a team that should allow Graham to compete in the postseason on a consistent basis in the years to come -- but because he thought he was actually being shipped to a different west coast team.

Graham recently revealed to a Seahawks fan that he thought he was going to be joining the Oakland Raiders for the 2015 season. And as Graham put it, that made him "very sad."



Can you blame him? While the Saints are currently in a not so great cap situation, they're not the Raiders -- a team that hasn't made the postseason since 2002. Even though the Raiders are certainly on the come up with a young core that could blossom in the years to come, Graham will turn 29 this season and could be past his peak when the Raiders are finally ready to contend for meaningful games in January. Seattle, on the other hand, is not only a team that was a yard away from back-to-back Super Bowl wins, but is also a team in need of a receiver of Graham's caliber. It's hard to imagine the Seahawks throwing a goal line slant to Ricardo Lockette with Graham on their roster.

Furthermore, it probably wouldn't have made much sense for the Raiders to part with an early draft pick like the Seahawks were able to. Oakland is still building for the future and needs to hit on draft picks to fill out its roster.

All of that equals a happily-ever-after ending for Graham.


(cbssports.com)