The Pittsburgh Steelers chose not to pursue tight end Jesse James in free agency. This allowed the Detroit Lions to offer James a big four-year contract which it seems he is happy to accept. According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the Lions the total value of the contract is $25 million with $11 million of it guaranteed.
James played out his entire rookie deal with the Steelers. The total value of his rookie contract was only $2,488,912 million and only $208,912 of that was fully guaranteed.
In the Steelers offense, James was often used as a blocker more than a receiver. In four seasons, James only caught 120 passes in four seasons but it always felt like he was capable of much more. The Lions are also banking on James being a much more effective weapon in the passing game.
James’ absence leaves an opening for Xavier Grimble to step up into a much more prominent role. Vance McDonald will be the feature tight end in the offense but don’t rule out the Steelers bringing in some competition for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
