AP

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham revealed late in the season that he had been struggling with a wrist injury all year. Now Graham is recovering from wrist surgery.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Graham had the surgery earlier this month. The injury is the reason he didn’t go to the Pro Bowl after Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez pulled out: Graham was the first alternate, but Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph is at the Pro Bowl instead.

The wrist injury may explain why Graham’s production declined: He went from 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns in his breakout 2011 season to 85 catches for 982 yards and nine touchdowns in 2012. According to Stats, Inc., Graham led the league with 13 dropped passes, while no one else in the NFL had more than 10.