Jimmy Graham will have to adjust to a lot of changes this offseason. He has a new team, new home city, new offense, new teammates, and now a new number.
Graham was traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday in one of the most shocking moves of the offseason. Graham appeared to be unhappy with the trade at first, but it seems like he is coming around, even if the trade means he has to change jersey numbers.
Graham wore jersey No. 80 during his entire five-year career with the Saints, a span in which he reached three Pro Bowls. He cannot wear the same number with the Seahawks because they retired it in honor of Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent.
Team owner Paul Allen tweeted Friday that Graham will wear No. 88 as a result:
@Seahawks @TheJimmyGraham will wear the number '88' on his jersey, I have been told.
— Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) March 13, 2015
Graham is still getting used to the reality of being traded, but he is certainly coming around.
“Immediately once Sean (Payton) said that I’d been traded, I was going through the list of everyone who had a bunch of (salary) cap space,” Graham told Seahawks.com. “So I’m thinking either Jacksonville or Oakland or somewhere. But when he told me Seattle, it definitely put a grin on my face.
“It’s unfortunate that I have to leave somewhere that you’ve been for so long, but when you go into an organization like the Seattle Seahawks – an organization that you can tell that that’s all that on their mind is winning, and winning rings at that, winning championships, and that’s their complete focus. For me, highly encouraged and highly motivated just to be a part of that.”
Graham already checked in at the Seahawks’ facilities on Wednesday and seems to be pleased with what he saw. We’re expecting him and Russell Wilson to build a strong relationship and have great results on the field.
