Former Saints Standout TE Jimmy Graham Announces Retirement From NFL

Graham last played in 2023 on the Saints.

New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham reacts to a play. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Longtime NFL tight end Jimmy Graham announced his retirement from football on Tuesday. He plans to retire as a New Orleans Saint, where he spent six of his 13 NFL seasons.

Graham last played in 2023, fittingly as a Saint for one final season. He previously played in New Orleans to start out his career from 2010 to '14. He was a three-time Pro Bowler in that first span.

"What a journey," Graham wrote on X to confirm the retirement news, along with black and yellow hearts and a praying hands emoji.

What a journey 🙏🏽🖤💛 https://t.co/X0z96EUfdy

— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) July 22, 2025

The 38-year-old finishes his 13-year NFL career with 134 starts in 197 games played. He caught 719 passes for 8,545 yards and 89 touchdowns. He notched two 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons in 2011 and '13 with the Saints. His 1,310 receiving yards in '11 made him the first Saints tight end to finish with over 1,000 yards in a season, and he sits in seventh all-time for the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season in NFL history.

Graham still ranks second all-time for receiving touchdowns caught by a tight end in a single season with the 16 he scored in 2013. He sits behind Rob Gronkowski's record of 17 set in '11.

After Graham's first stint with the Saints, he went on to compete for the Seahawks for three seasons, notching two more Pro Bowl honors in that span. He played two seasons for the Packers, then two seasons for the Bears. He didn't play in 2022, but returned to the Saints in '23. Graham recently helped set a record as part of a team of Americans that rowed across the Arctic Ocean.

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