Jimmy Graham determined after rough year in Green Bay: 'I'm gonna go prove a lot of people wrong'
Jimmy Graham was not the tight end the Green Bay Packers had hoped for last season.
Graham, who inked a three-year, $30 million deal with the Packers last offseason, recorded just 636 yards on 55 receptions and only scored two touchdowns, tied for his career low.
Naturally, that didn’t sit well with the five-time Pro Bowler — and he’s ready to bounce back this fall.
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“Obviously, last year was disappointing for everybody,” Graham said Sunday, via NBC26 in Green Bay. “I'm not used to losing. I don't think anybody here is. And for me, it was not a good year.
“I'm completely focused on putting my best foot forward, and being the player that I am: Scoring down in the red zone an d being that big threat on third down. I’ve gotta get back to that, and I take it serious. It's something that eats at me every day, just not making the playoffs and sometimes not making the plays that I should have. You better believe I’ll be ready.”
Graham shined early on in his career — especially with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Graham recorded two seasons with more than 1,200 yards in New Orleans, and had a third that came up just short.
Since leaving New Orleans, though, Graham’s production has gone down. He scored just 18 touchdowns over three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks — thanks largely to a 10-touchdown season in 2017 — and recorded more than 605 yards just once in those three years.
Last season, Graham simply seemed to struggle to click in the Green Bay offense with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Despite his struggles, though, the Packers are ready to give Graham another shot under new head coach Matt LaFleur — and he isn’t going to let that go to waste.
“We all have our ups and downs,” Graham said, via NBC26 in Green Bay. “Obviously there was a lot going on last year for all of us in the building. But all that's in the past. I know the player that I am, and I know that I still have juice. I know I can still run. I'm gonna go prove a lot of people wrong.”
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