Since the NFLPA filed the grievance in Graham's behalf in early May

Jimmy Graham vs. the Saints has become a battle between the NFL vs. its players union. The NFLPA thinks it has the uppper hand, and it should.

Tuesday marked the beginning of Graham's system arbritation to determine whether the franchise tag he received from the Saints should pay him as a tight end or wide receiver for the 2014 season. There's more than $5 million at stake for the dominant pass-catcher, the difference in salary between the two tag values — $7 million and $12.3 million, respectively.

Since the NFLPA filed the grievance in Graham's behalf in early May, both the union and the league have had time to put together their best cases.

The union's strongest argument is based on analyzing just how Graham was used in the Saints' passing game: a "move" receiver who did limited work as an in-line tight end. Breaking down all their snaps, Graham acted like a wideout two-thirds of the time.

Among @NFLPA’s arguments: 67 percent of the time, Jimmy Graham lines up where a WR would line up. Union has expressed a lot of confidence

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 17, 2014
In contrast, the NFL doesn't have too much on which to stand, other than the fact Graham is listed as a tight end on the Saints' roster and Graham refers to himself as 'a Saints tight end' on social media. For the record, his Twitter profile (@TheJimmyGraham) also lists him as a 'private pilot'.

Among @NFL’s arguments: Jimmy Graham meets in the TE room, lines up where TEs line up… and lists himself as a TE on Twitter (really).

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 17, 2014
It's hard to see a compromise because under the tag, Graham wants to maximize his guaranteed money for the upcoming season, and his production is much more in line with the $12.3 million when you stack up his numbers (86 receptions, 1,215 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns last season) vs. the game's highest-paid wide receiver, Detroit's Calvin Johnson (84, 1,492 and 12 in '13). In additon, Graham would have been able to test unrestricted free agency for fair market value over the long term had he not been tagged.

Quarterback Drew Brees said if Graham prices himself out of New Orleans, the Saints' offense would be "fine" without him. If Graham needs to paid like a wide receiver now, it would mean the Saints need to prepare for that possibility in 2015. Tagging him again at an even higher rate wouldn't be a pleasing option. For '14, they would need to get creative with restructuring other contracts or cutting players to get back under the salary cap. According to OverTheCap.com, they currently have only $1.588 million in space.

Regardless of the decision, the franchise-tag model as a whole needs to be readdressed by the league and the union. In today's NFL with certain matchup-nightmare players having their positions less defined — offensively and defensively — the tag doesn't work when a player such as Graham is set up to get such an undercutting one-year deal.

Quote:Born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Graham had a difficult upbringing. At age 11, he was placed in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children. In high school, with help from a church youth counselor who took him into her home, he improved his grades, became a basketball star as a senior at Community Christian in Wilson, North Carolina and at Charis Prep in Wilson, North Carolina, and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.