The Facts: Graham, who has been designated as the Saints' franchise tag player and is not currently under contract, has been a holdout from OTAs and mini-camp as the two sides work out a long-term deal. But he will be the center of attention on Tuesday and Wednesday as arbitrator Stephen Burbank will conduct a hearing to decide whether Graham was correctly given the franchise tag as a tight end, or if he should be tagged as a wide receiver.

Diehards Line: The NFL Management Council, which decided Graham's initial tag designation, will argue on behalf of the Saints, while the NFL Player's Association will lobby on Graham's behalf. Graham's camp has contended he should be paid like a wide receiver. Graham led all receivers with 16 touchdowns and was the only tight end in the top-15 in regular season receiving yards (1,215). However, as Times-Picayune staffer Katherine Terrell notes, most of those statistics didn't come when lined up against a cornerback as a traditional wide receiver would. Out of his 90 catches for 1,267 yards in the regular season and postseason, only 20 catches for 258 yards and four touchdowns were against cornerbacks. A TE franchise tag is worth a one-year salary of $7.035 million, while a WR is worth $12.3 million. However, the real long-term implications have less to do with the franchise tag designation, and more to do with long-term contract negotiation talks. The Saints have until July 15 to work out a deal with Graham. If that doesn't happen, he'll be forced to play under the franchise tag or hold out this year. ... Stay tuned.