For Jimmy Graham and the Bears, ‘business as usual' was anything but

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It's a weird time to be a free agent in the NFL. Traditionally, the signing of these contracts – like the two-year, $16 million deal Jimmy Graham got from the Bears – comes with its fair share of celebration. Jerseys are held up, complimentary press conferences are had, hype videos are produced. 

Instead, Graham's first introduction to Chicago came via an audio-only Skype call. Two weeks to the day after the Bears ceased all in-person operations, Graham spoke to reporters about the challenges of trying to conduct business as usual when the surrounding environment was anything but. 

"I think everyone here in America, and all across the world, every day for them is kinda weird," Graham said. "To see empty streets and being at home trying to get through this. So yeah, I can’t complain, obviously. But it’s been very difficult for, I think, everybody." 

Despite every other major sports league shutting down, the NFL's choice to continue league operations has thrown many for a loop. While the calendar has continued as normal, new precautionary regulations meant that teams weren't able to open their facilities to free agents, who typically take a physical on site before signing a contract. Graham didn't want to go into specifics – "I'm going to leave everything as far as the details of it up to Ryan and the organization to kind of mull over," he said – but did note, on multiple occasions, how difficult of a process getting the deal done was. 

"... but it's been difficult. It hasn't been easy.  I think everything day-to-day has been difficult for everybody. It was a unique situation that everything kind of imploded ... But for me, I couldn't be happier with the decision." 

Otherwise, Graham played the hits. There's plenty left in the tank, he says, and he hasn't run this fast in four or five years. Graham's already watching film of the Bears' tight ends from last year (Jimmy no!) to pass the time, although picking things up on the fly is something the tight end is already well-accustomed to. 

"I’ve been through a couple of offseasons where I really wasn’t active at all," he said. "If I think back to the (2001) lockout, [it] was right before my first career start. Like basically after my rookie year, they basically made me a starter going into my second year. There was no offseason program. There was nothing. I basically showed up at training camp and then that year I put up 1,300 yards.

"...Even coming off of my knee injury – that was four years ago. Ended up having, obviously, reconstructive knee surgery, came off basically nine months later, did no training camp, showed up for the first game and ended up making the Pro Bowl."

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