(670 The Score) It's hard to find a player on the Bears more divisive than tight end Jimmy Graham.
Though analysts and fans have been critical of the two-year, $16-million contract that Bears general manager Ryan Pace gave Graham after the 2019 season, anyone who works at Halas Hall will tell you they couldn't be happier with the decision. They may have a something of a point too -- no one on the team had more touchdowns last season than Graham (eight), who continued to live up to his reputation as a legitimate red-zone threat, even as a 10-year veteran who's set to turn 35 in November.
With that being said, Graham's production away from the red zone continued to decline, and even though the team values his mentorship of 2020 second-round pick and fellow tight end Cole Kmet, many wondered whether Graham's large contract would find itself in the crosshairs of a Bears front office that spent much of the offseason looking to free up cap space. That never happened, of course, and when talking with the media before veteran minicamp Tuesday, Graham revealed that after the Bears' disappointing road loss to the Saints in the wild-card round this past January, even he wasn't sure what his future held.
“Yeah, you know, I certainly did for a second there, for a little bit," Graham said when asked if he ever seriously considered retiring. "I’ve got a lot of unfinished business. It was very difficult for me to go back in the (Saints') dome, especially to lose. I’m a pretty fiery person, I’m a pretty enthusiastic person and I hate losing. Simple as that. So there was a lot of frustration there, because I haven’t won a ring. And that’s all I think about. So just knowing that it’s another year. So I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I talked to Ryan, talked to Matt (Nagy), and I’m on board. We’ll do whatever it takes to get back in that position, to move forward and hopefully to make a run.”
Ultimately, Graham felt his health was good enough to keep going, at least for another year. He has also embraced his relationship with Kmet, with the two of them spending some time working together in the offseason.
"I wanted to make sure I can make it through a season and make it through a playoff run," Graham said. "Those are the thoughts that I have. I never want to outlive my time. I feel like I can still be used and I can still be a weapon, and I can still be here for this team and help these young kids to make a run and share some of my knowledge of what I’ve been through in this league, the wins and the lessons I’ve learned.”
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.