Packers tight end Jimmy Graham planning to 'prove a lot of people wrong'

Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham hosted his second annual cornhole tournament at Badger State Brewing in Green Bay on Sunday, arriving to the event piloting a restored 1967 UH-1 Iroquois helicopter that saw action in the Vietnam War.

It helped accentuate Graham’s passion for flying and he announced via his Instagram account that his eponymous foundation will give back to veterans and offer free flights to children to expose them to piloting.

As for football, the reclusive tight end did talk about a 2018 season in which the Packers failed to make the playoffs and fired coach Mike McCarthy. The 32-year-old Graham caught 55 passes for 636 yards and two touchdowns. Those were his lowest full-season totals since his rookie year in 2010 in New Orleans.

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“Obviously, last year was disappointing for everybody,” Graham said via WFRV-TV in Green Bay. “I’m not used to losing. I don’t think anybody here is. And for me, it was not a good year. And so I’m completely focused on putting my best foot forward and being the player that I am, scoring down in the red zone and being that big threat on third down.

"I mean, I gotta get back to that. I take it serious. It’s something that eats at me every day, just not making the playoffs and sometimes not making the plays that I should have. So you better believe I’ll be ready.”

Graham, who will turn 33 in November, has one All-Pro selection and five Pro Bowl berths under his belt – but he said he is entering 2019 with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“I mean, we all have our ups and downs,” Graham told WFRV-TV. “Obviously there was a lot going on last year for all of us, kind of in the building, but all that’s in the past. I know the player that I am and I know I still have juice. I know I can still run. So I’m going to go prove a lot people wrong.”