KEY TAKEAWAYS: Todd Graves says owning the Saints could make sense “maybe someday” Graves praises Saints owner Gayle Benson and calls her a mentor Benson has said the team will not be sold in her lifetime Tilman Fertitta also linked to potential future NFL ownership bid   Plenty of New Orleans Saints fans have called for Gayle Benson to sell the team after a directionless half-decade, but she isn’t budging. That doesn’t mean speculation hasn’t gone around about who could be the next owner of the black and gold. One name that’s come up frequently is Todd Graves, the Raising Canes founder based out of Baton Rouge who some frustrated fans have pointed to as an ideal successor. While he’s been spotted with Benson at various events and collaborated with the Saints and NFL in a number of ventures, Graves hasn’t openly talked about his interest in buying the team. But in a recent Super Bowl week interview with TMZ at Jason and Travis Kelce’s star-studded New Heights podcast party, Graves finally made his ambitions known. “For me, I love football,” Graves said. He’s well-known as an LSU Tigers super fan, but Graves rubs shoulders with dozens of celebrities at his own Super Bowl suite each year. He continued: “I love the fanfare of it. I love the fact that coaches and teams have to put together this amazing play-calling, amazing teams, the athletes are incredible, so I love all that. It’s all about success and working hard and doing great and giving it all to the fans. It’s all about success and working hard and doing great and giving it all to the fans. So maybe, someday, that makes sense for me, right?” While he cautioned that he isn’t in a rush to join the exclusive circle of NFL owners — emphasizing that this is a “maybe someday down the line” conversation — Graves did acknowledge his strong relationship with Saints owner Gayle Benson. He added: “She’s a really sharp lady. I really respect her. We’re good friends. I just really respect her. I learn from her. She’s an incredible businesswoman, and even more, she’s just great in the community. She gives everything back, but you know, maybe some day, if she’s like, ‘Here are the reins,’ who knows?” When the interviewer joked that “You might have an in!” Graves had to laugh in agreement: “I might have an in, you know? But you never know.” For her part, Benson has repeatedly stated that the Saints will not go up for sale during her lifetime, and she drew up a will that contractually binds a new owner to keep the team in New Orleans, with proceeds from the sale to be distributed to charities citywide. Having an owner like Graves who was born and raised in Louisiana would reassure a lot of fans that the black and gold wouldn’t be going anywhere. We’ll see how it shakes out. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has expressed his interest in expanding from the NBA to the NFL, too, so it’s not like Graves would be the only bidder. But as he admitted, he might have an inside track once the day comes. This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Raising Canes founder, LSU fan says ‘I might have an in’ to buy Saints Reporting by John Sigler, Saints Wire / Saints Wire USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less