Jimmy Graham will be a free agent and he would prefer to sign a long-term deal this offseason.

"I'm not keen on the franchise tag," Graham said after Pro Bowl practice Friday, according to NFL.com. "That would be really unfortunate, but that is really all I have to say about that one."

If the New Orleans Saints decide to use the tag on Graham, it will open up a battle on whether he's a tight end of wide receiver.

The franchise tag last season at wide receiver was $10.5 million, compared to $6 million at tight end.

"Isn't that what we drafted him as? Isn't that what he made the Pro Bowl as?" Mickey Loomis said Tuesday. "That's what we see him as, a tight end. ... That's what makes him valuable."