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One day after Jimmy Graham tore his patellar tendon in Sunday's 39-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Seahawks placed the three-time Pro Bowl tight end on injured reserve, ending his 2015 season early. 

Graham, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the New Orleans Saints, hurt his knee in yesterday's game at CenturyLink Field after attempting to haul in a fourth quarter pass from quarterback Russell Wilson. After the game, Pete Carroll said Graham would undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage and on his Monday morning radio show said Graham should be back for the start of next season. 

"Absolutely, yes," Carroll said at his Monday afternoon press conference when asked if he expects Graham to be ready by next year. "I don't know about the dates of that, but there's plenty of time for him to get back."

The move means Graham finishes his first season in Seattle with 48 grabs for 605 yards and two touchdowns through 11 games. 

"I think in all phases we'll miss him," Carroll said. "He's a great guy, we like him. He's fun to have around, he's a terrific player. I think you're probably asking about the football part, we've been growing with him, and you expect certain guys to do things and so we've expected Jimmy to make some plays and do some special things.

"It'll be a little bit different. We'll just change. We go to the next guy. Luke [Willson] does all kinds of good things, and we utilize him in the fashion that he suits best."

To fill Graham's spot on the 53-man active roster, the Seahawks promoted defensive tackle A.J. Francis from the practice squad. Francis, who worked as an Uber driver this past offseason as a member of the Miami Dolphins, was signed by Seattle before the team's Week 11 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He was waived last week when the team added depth at running back and wide receiver, but re-signed to the practice squad.

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