New Year’s Day in the NFL, also known as March 10th at 1 p.m. PST, is a time of new beginnings and exciting news. Usually there is a trade or two that catches headlines, but none of the magnitude of a superstar player switching cities. Yes, Jimmy Graham is now a Seattle Seahawk. Although some ‘Hawks fans were disappointed about what the team gave up, let’s face it: it’s not every day you’re going to get an elite level player like Graham. Let’s take a look at how Jimmy Graham will fit in with his new squad.

Red Zone Threat

You will hear this time and time again while reading articles on Jimmy Graham. He’s a ginormous red-zone target and has been very successful throughout his career with Drew Brees throwing passes to him within 20 yards of the end zone. Now with Russell Wilson throwing to him, who can extend plays for longer than Brees can, Graham should find plenty of passes coming his way. This is what the Seahawks' hasn't had. That might be an understatement as well. Everybody thought the big red-zone target would come in the form of Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron, Andre Johnson (which could still happen) or a draft pick this year, but no, Pete Carroll and John Schneider pull off another gutsy move to give their franchise quarterback a new toy to play with.

A Big Decoy

One thing that Percy Harvin did so well in his time with the Seahawks was attention away from his teammates. When Harvin was in the game, the defense had to know where he was at all times. Whether he was coming in motion, out of the backfield or streaking down the sideline, the opposing defense usually had one or two guys watching or on him constantly. The same holds true with Graham, especially in the red zone. With all eyes on the Seahawks’ new offseason acquisition, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Luke Willson are going to find themselves open plenty. Now, when the Seahawks aren’t in the red zone, Graham will still draw attention, just not as much. He’s a big threat on third downs, but on first and second down in this Seahawks run heavy offense, he will most likely be used as a blocker or again, a decoy. Graham isn’t the best run blocker, but Pete Carroll said Tuesday that the staff will be working on it with him leading up to the season.

The Tallest Guy on the Field

It’s not often that you will find a 6-foot-7 receiver who weighs in at 260-pounds with a 38.5-inch vertical jump. Most likely, that receiver will be the tallest skill player on the field. Can you say mismatch? It’s a stretch to call  Graham a receiver rather than a tight end, but he lined up as a wide receiver in about 66 percent of the snaps he played last year. Just watching highlights of Graham has Seahawks fans dreaming of touchdowns, touchdowns and more touchdowns over smaller defenders, which is usually the case for Graham. He high-points the ball so well and maybe if it were Graham on the back end of the throw from Colin Kaepernick in the 2014 NFC Championship Game, the 49ers would have won. That’s something truly interesting to think about though. Would Sherman still have tipped the ball if Graham were going up for the pass instead of Crabtree? We can only imagine.

Three-Headed Attack

The Seahawks’ NFC West opponents have to be kicking themselves right now. This Seahawks offense just got a whole lot better (if they can find a few serviceable offensive linemen) and now boasts Graham, a top three running back in the league in Marshawn Lynch and maybe the most dynamic and versatile quarterback in the game in Russell Wilson. Who are you going to pick to stop? If opposing defenses sell out to stop the running game, Wilson will pepper the ball around to Baldwin, Kearse or Graham. Focus on Graham, and Lynch will gash you. Focus on stopping Wilson from hurting you on the ground is just not a good idea with Lynch and Graham in the arsenal. Have fun, Seahawks opponents.

Reach Staff Writer Marshall Cherrington here or follow him on Twitter.