Drew Brees certain Jimmy Graham is staying in football shape

Jimmy Graham may not be in offseason workouts right now, but Drew Brees is not worried about his tight end staying in football shape.

Brees was recently on Pro Football Talk on the NBC Sports Network to discuss a myriad of topics relating to the Saints, the NFL, and more. At one point, Brees was asked about the ongoing issues with Graham and the Saints, and the former Super Bowl MVP stayed positive (Courtesy of NBC Sports):

"I just know that Jimmy Graham is staying ready to play football. I know that when the time comes and he comes into the locker room he’s going to be in shape and ready to roll, whenever that is.We’re going to have time enough to get on the same page, obviously I hope that is more time than less time but at the end of the day we’ve had a lot of time together and so there’s a great rapport there, there’s a lot of trust and we’ll get back on the same page very quick."

The issue with Graham currently is that the Saints gave him the franchise tag. Considering that Graham is a hybrid tight end/wide receiver there is a big monetary difference as to what position he is allocated to on the franchise tag. If Graham is considered a wide receiver, he would be getting another $5 million with the franchise tag than he would as a tight end.

Last year, Graham actually spent more time split out as a wide receiver than as a tight end, so the entire situation has become quite an issue. The NFLPA recently filed a grievance against the Saints on behalf of Graham.