- Jimmy Graham could become the first black man to row across an Arctic sea
- The Pro Bowl tight end incredibly has no rowing experience so far
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Former NFL player Jimmy Graham will attempt to row across the Arctic Ocean with a team of three other people next year, he has announced.
Called ‘The Artic ChallengeDuring the mission, Graham, former US Navy Seal Andrew Tropp and elite rowers Hannah and John Huppi attempt a 1,000 km (621.3 mi) journey.
The foursome will depart from Tromsø, Norway, in July 2025 and hope to set several Guinness World Records.
“The impact of The Arctic Challenge goes far beyond the four athletes and the Arctic Ocean,” Graham wrote of his X account.
“With the mission to inspire young minds, the team aims to challenge the next generation to move beyond their limiting beliefs and chart their own course.”
Jimmy Graham will embark on a new athletic journey in the Arctic Ocean next summer
Graham will row alongside Hannah and John Huppi (left) and former Navy Seal Andrew Tropp
Incredibly, Graham has no rowing experience to date.
According to the Challenge website, the team will sleep for no more than 90 minutes at a time and will row their nine-metre boat 24 hours a day in alternating two-hour shifts.
The group aims to consume as many as 8,000 calories per day and is expected to be at sea for 10 to 21 days.
The trip ends in Longyearbyen, Norway.
If the group can complete the journey, it will become the first mixed team to row the Arctic Ocean.
Hannah Huppi would also become the first woman to row across the North Pole, while Graham would become the first black man to row across an Arctic sea.
Ocean Revival set the current speed record in the Arctic Ocean last year: 15 days, 5 hours and 32 minutes.
Graham impressed in the preseason (above) in 2023 but didn’t play much in the regular season
Graham told fellow NFL player Cam Jordan about his ‘Off the Edge podcast“It really gives me something to look forward to and something to take myself in a new direction athletically.
‘And I don’t have to take any more hits. I can just sit there and just get started.”
The mission will also benefit three charities that “support underserved youth,” according to the Arctic Challenge website.
Graham, 37, is a five-time Pro Bowler who played for the Saints, Seahawks, Packers and Bears over 13 seasons.
It’s possible the 2023 season was his last, like him said goodbye to Saints fans then.