CHICAGO _ Jimmy Graham remains full of confidence. Full of energy and promises too. The 33-year-old tight end, once one of the most menacing matchup nightmares in the NFL but now a long-in-the-tooth journeyman, firmly believes 2020 will be a reawakening year for himself and the Bears.
That came across loud and clear Thursday afternoon. During a 25-minute conference call on the day his free-agent deal with the Bears officially was announced, Graham spoke candidly and with great conviction.
A sampling of his proclamations:
"I'm still fast. I still have the ability to make big plays."
"(In the Bears), you have a team that's hungry to win, hungry to improve and hungry to get back to the playoffs."
"If I didn't think I had the ability to dominate this league, then I wouldn't play anymore. But I still believe that I have that ability."
"This just seemed like the perfect fit."
None of it seemed like bravado. Not even a little bit. It was more a blast of self-belief from a player who has been selected to five Pro Bowls while recording 649 career catches, 7,883 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns. Graham has tasted high-level success and remembers the formula behind it.
He believes, with this next opportunity in Chicago, his skills as a chain-moving, touchdown-scoring, game-changing playmaker will come back into the spotlight.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy obviously believe that too. A week ago, the Bears guaranteed Graham $9 million on a free-agent contract that could be worth up to $16 million if all of Graham's offseason visions turn into regular-season production.
"I'm about to get to work and make my way toward something special," Graham said.
In many league circles, Graham's deal created a surge of head-scratching. After all, the tight end's production has been in steady decline since his glory days with the Saints from 2010-2014.
His catch totals the last four seasons with the Seahawks and Packers: 65, 57, 55 and 38.
The gradual yardage dip: 923, 520, 636 and 447.
For some, this Bears-Graham union feels desperate, an expensive, fingers-crossed dice roll akin to tossing a pile of chips for a "yo" bet on a craps table.
