Jimmy Graham Continuing to Prove He's Solely a Product of the Saints Offense

The days of Jimmy Graham being one of the elite tight ends in the NFL are long gone.

After struggling with the Seahawks and now the Packers in his post New Orleans Saints days, one thing has never been more clear: Graham's early-career monster production was due to Drew Brees and the Saints offense-- not because of his skill alone.

Many questioned what the Saints were doing when they shipped him to Seattle after the 2014 season, but Sean Payton and Co. obviously knew what they were doing.

Seattle never got the elite production from Graham that they expected, even with Russell Wilson under center. In his three years with the Seahawks, Graham's highs were 10 touchdowns in 2017 and 923 receiving yards in 2016. Both marks were lower than his peak years with New Orleans.

The 32-year-old's struggles have only continued with Green Bay. Though he's already tied last year's touchdown mark of two, Graham is averaging less yards per catch and more drops. He is also on pace to gain fewer total yards than last season's 636.

Overall, it must be said that his struggles are hurting the Packers.

Graham has only played with elite quarterbacks in his career in Brees, Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, so the fact that he has struggled after leaving the Saints proves he is just a product of their system, plain and simple.

Sean Payton is one of the better offensive minds in the modern history of the league. It makes sense that a player like Graham would thrive within his framework. However, those days are gone, and Packer fans ought to stop waiting for a Graham renaissance to come.