One-time Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller retired on Sunday, while fellow one-time Pro Bowl tight end Marcedes Lewis is returning to the Chicago Bears for his 19th NFL season.
Five-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham hasn't decided yet if he'll join Waller in retirement or come back for his 14th campaign, but it sounds like his final call could come down to if the New Orleans Saints want him back.
"I'm gonna reach out to the Saints and figure out what's best, and then make the decision on when it's best for me to retire," Graham said, according to a report by ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "I don't have any expectations. I just want to make sure when I retire, it's as a Saint, and it's when they want me to. I'll just make sure I give them a call and see exactly when they want me to retire and then I'll end up doing it."
Per Terrell's report, the 37-year-old is currently training to row 1,000 kilometers across the Arctic Ocean next summer in pursuit of a world record. Graham will be part of a four-person team attempting to break the current record of 15 days, five hours and 32 minutes.
The venture into non-football related extreme physical challenges is nothing new for the University of Miami product, and he isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon.
Terrell added that Graham is planning to do "several long-distance bike rides over the next year, including a race with former NFL tight end Luke Willson at the end of June."
During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" last May, the 2010 third-round pick detailed a terrifying cycling accident he was involved in. One day prior, former longtime teammate A.J. Hawk revealed on the show that Graham was hit by a car while riding his bike in Miami.
Graham explained he was likely moving at about 20 mph, while the driver was going 20 to 25 mph. He suffered a leg wound, and he ripped all the skin off his back during the incident.
Graham was also at the center of a rollover car accident in Miami in March 2021 but avoided injury.
The tight end has also worked as a commercial pilot and spent time living on a sailboat. He said he earned 10 different licenses over the first 10 years of his NFL career.
After sitting out the 2022 season and initially turning down multiple teams last offseason, the 2013 First Team All-Pro signed a one-year deal with the Saints in July for his second tenure with the team. Graham played the first five years of his career with New Orleans (earning his first three Pro Bowl honors) before also suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
He finished last season with career lows in targets (seven), receptions (six) and receiving yards (39) but continued his knack for finding the end zone with four touchdown catches. Graham ranks fourth among tight ends and 16th all-time with 89 career receiving scores.
When he was asked about potentially balancing playing in the NFL and training to row across the ocean, Graham said that he thought "anything is possible."
"Right now I'm certainly enjoying how my body feels as far as my joints and everything," he said, according to Terrell.
