Saints on Tuesday confirmed a multiyear contract with Jimmy Graham

The New Orleans Saints on Tuesday confirmed a multiyear contract with Jimmy Graham, ending a protracted holdout for the star tight end.

Graham skipped all of the Saints' voluntary and mandatory practices and workouts - and challenged the NFL's franchise tag process through arbitration.

The odds of Graham leaving the Saints were slim since the club in late February placed its franchise tag on the player.

The NFL Players Association filed a grievance, contending Graham was used as a wide receiver often enough to qualify for the more lucrative receiver tag, worth about $5 million a year more than the $7 million tag for a tight end.

A hearing was held in June and earlier this month. Arbitrator Stephen Burbank sided with the NFL, ruling Graham was capable of continuing to perform specific tight end duties while lined up in the slot or within 4 yards of an offensive tackle.

Once the ruling was in place, Graham had a choice of appealing or trying to reach a long-term contract by a July 15 deadline - after which he would have to play next season for his franchise tag number. A favorable ruling from Burbank would have further enhanced negotiating leverage for Graham, who last season led the Saints with 86 catches for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Graham, a former college basketball player who played one year of football at Miami, was the Saints' third-round draft choice in 2010. In his second season, Graham caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards. That total stood briefly as a yards receiving record for tight ends. That same day the mark was broken on the final day of that season by New England's Rob Gronkowski, who finished with 1,327.

Graham has led the Saints in catches the past three seasons and led them in yards receiving and touchdowns in two of the last three seasons. For the past three regular seasons, he has 270 catches for 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Quote:Jimmy Graham born November 24, 1986 and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He played six months (13 games) of college football at the University of Miami. He was considered one of the top tight end prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.

New Orleans Saints pass rusher Cameron Jordan placed just 99th on the NFL Network's The Top 100 Players of 2014

New Orleans Saints pass rusher Cameron Jordan placed just 99th on the NFL Network's The Top 100 Players of 2014 despite leading all 3-4 defensive ends in sacks (12.5) and quarterback hurries (50) last season.

In a Tuesday interview with NFL Media's Amber Theoharis and Shaun O'Hara at Nike The Opening, Jordan said his goal is to increase his sack total to 16 in 2014.

"I'd like to average one a game," Jordan said, "but what's really truly important is just the whole d-line getting after quarterbacks."

Asked about being mentioned in the same breath with the game's premier pass rushers such as J.J. Watt, Von Miller and Robert Quinn, Jordan insisted that winning the Super Bowl is a higher priority.

"It sounds bad, but I don't know if I care to be in that conversation," Jordan explained. "It's great that guys are having these astronomical numbers in different years and different stages, that just shows you the type of talent that was coming out in my year (2011)."

Jordan's desire to be the last team standing is amplified because it would represent a homecoming for the former three-star recruit out of Chandler, Arizona.

"I want a Super Bowl," Jordan emphasized. "I'm heading into my fourth year, I need it. And it's in Arizona this year. ... I'm from there, and I need it."

As Drew Brees recently suggested, Jordan has as good of a chance as any defensive star to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year.

Quote:Cameron Tyler Jordan (born July 10, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was selected by the Saints with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Jordan was considered one of the top defensive lineman prospects for the 2011 Draft. The son of former Minnesota Vikings tight end Steve Jordan, he played college football at California.