Jimmy Graham isn't worried about developing chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers new tight end knows how good his new quarterback is D.J. Hayden Jersey , and through the first three days of training camp, they've already made plenty of progress.

But when will Graham know that he and Rodgers have truly gotten on the same page?

"I'll be with the ball in the end zone," Graham said after Saturday's first in-pads practice of camp. "That's really when you know."

That hasn't happened yet in any of the 11-on-11 team periods of the first three practices, but the two have connected plenty of times during drills and expect to be on the same wavelength in time for the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against Chicago.

"We'll just keep plugging away. We'll just keep doing that each and every day," Graham said. "And come Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . we'll be clicking, I'm pretty sure."

The Packers certainly need Graham, a five-time Pro Bowl tight end who came over from Seattle in free agency Aaron Donald Jersey , to be a force. After cutting wide receiver Jordy Nelson during the offseason, they'll be counting on Graham to be a go-to presence in the red zone. Last year with the Seahawks, all 10 of his touchdown catches came from inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Coach Mike McCarthy's offense is at its best when he has a big, athletic tight end in the mix, which is why the team has signed one three years running - Jared Cook in 2016, Martellus Bennett last year and Graham this time around. While the Bennett experiment backfired, Rodgers and Cook developed a strong connection during their one season together after Cook overcame early-season injury problems.

"We just need more reps," Rodgers said of his exposure to Graham. "He's a big target, he catches the ball with his hands. We haven't had a guy like that around here in a while. Obviously Jared did a lot of those things, but Jimmy, he's got a great feel for coverages Andre Reed Jersey , getting open, he uses his body really well, runs good routes. And he's a matchup issue. We haven't had a consistent matchup issue guy like that for a long time.

"So we just need reps together. He needs to hear the language, he needs to hear some of the code words and the verbiage and the signals. I'm not worried about any chemistry issues with him."

Graham, who played with elite-level quarterbacks with the Saints (Drew Brees) and Seahawks (Russell Wilson), has been impressed with Rodgers' accuracy and his ability to put the ball in places that protect his receivers from dangerous hits. To Graham, having that type of trust already with Rodgers is a very encouraging sign.

"I know when leads me out there that I can just run right through it. I've got no worries in the world because I know he's the eyes in the back of my head," Graham said. "We'll just keep working on that. It's not him getting on my page, it's me getting on his page, you know? He's been in this league a long time, knows too much William Jackson Jersey , and I've got to just catch up and just learn every day and make sure I'm supposed to be where I'm at so I can make that catch and make that big play."


The XFL is trying to make up for lost time. And throwing shade in the process.

In a Friday email sent to NFL agents, XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck makes the pitch for players who don’t make the cut from 90 to 53 on NFL rosters to consider the XFL, even though the XFL won’t get started until 2020, one year after the Alliance of American Football.

The email opens with Luck explaining that he wants to make agents “aware of a number of issues related to spring football that may inhibit your client鈥檚 freedom in choosing to join our league when we launch in 2020.” 聽As to the issue of player contracts, Luck says this: “Competitive leagues appear to be offering multi-year contracts that may have restrictions and or non-compete clauses that could severely limit your client鈥檚鈥?ability to play for other leagues, including the XFL.”

While Luck doesn’t mention any “competitive leagues” by name, it’s clear that he’s talking about the one that starts playing games in February, the AAF.

Luck also touts the XFL’s marketing and intellectual property arrangements, explaining that the XFL will establish a Group Licensing Agreement for players, and warning that “[o]ther spring leagues may feature restrictive licensing agreements that limit your clients鈥?likeness rights and distribution; impose restrictions that may inhibit your clients鈥?licensing rights; and restrict their ability to participate in other licensing agreements, including the XFL GLA.”

Again Jack Doyle Jersey , that’s clearly a reference to the AAF, which has a one-year head start in every aspect of building and executing a football business. And it makes sense for the XFL to be concerned.

As the land rush for players not wanted by the NFL begins, the AAF will try to get them to commit beyond 2019, making them unavailable to the XFL. The challenge for the XFL will be to get agents to insist on one-year deals with the AAF or, ideally from the XFL’s perspective, no deals at all.

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