Jesse James

Jesse Dylan James (born June 4, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. James was also a member of the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Early life James attended South Allegheny Middle/Senior High School in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. where he was a two-time Second-team All-State selection in both football and basketball. James was named First-team All-Century Conference as a tight end for both his junior and senior seasons. James committed to Penn State University to play college football.

College career James began attending Penn State in 2012. He played in 12 games as a true freshman in 2012, with six starts. James recorded 15 receptions for 276 yards and tied a school record with five receiving touchdowns by a tight end.

As a junior season in 2014, James broke the school's record for career touchdowns by a tight end, passing Ted Kwalick's 10. For the season, James recorded 38 receptions for 396 yards and three touchdowns.

After his junior season, James entered the 2015 NFL draft. He finished his collegiate career with 76 receptions for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Professional career Pre-draft Coming out of Penn State, James was projected to be drafted anywhere from the fourth to sixth round by the majority of NFL analysts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the required drills and positional workouts. On March 19, 2015, James attended Penn State's annual Pro Day and succeeded in lowering his times in the 40, 20, and 10-yard dash from the combine. James also performed positional drills for representatives and scouts from 19 NFL teams, who attended to scout James, Donovan Smith, Adrian Amos, and eight other Penn State players. He was ranked the fifth best tight end prospect available in the 2015 NFL draft by NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the 13th best tight end by NFL analyst Charles Davis.

Pittsburgh Steelers James was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round with the 160th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. On May 14, 2015, the Steelers signed James to a four-year, $2.48 million rookie contract with $218,912 guaranteed. On November 8, 2015, James made his professional regular season debut and caught two passes for 13 yards and also scored his first touchdown on a four-yard reception in a 38–35 victory over the Oakland Raiders. James finished his rookie year with eight receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown in eight games and two starts.

The following season in 2016, with Heath Miller retired, and newly signed free agent Ladarius Green on injured reserve, James became the starting tight end to begin the season. He finished his second professional season with 39 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts. On January 8, 2017, James started in his first career postseason game and caught one pass for nine yards as the Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins 30–12 in the AFC Wild Card Round. thumb James in 2017James began the 2017 regular season as the Steeler's de facto starting tight end ahead of Vance McDonald. On September 10, in the season opening 21–18 victory over the Cleveland Browns, James had six receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns for his first career multi-touchdown game. During Week 15 against the New England Patriots, he caught a potential game-winning touchdown, but after review, it was overturned when officials ruled that James lost control as the ball hit the ground. The controversial moment loomed large as Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception two plays later, resulting in the Steelers losing 27–24 and giving the Patriots another AFC East title and eventual #1-seed. James finished the 2017 season with 43 receptions for 372 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and 14 starts.

During Week 2 of the 2018 season, against the Kansas City Chiefs, James had five receptions for a career-high 138 yards and a touchdown in the 42–37 loss. He played in 16 games with seven starts, recording 30 receptions for 423 yards and two touchdowns.

Detroit Lions

On March 14, 2019, James signed a four-year, $22.6 million contract with the Detroit Lions. In the 2019 season, he appeared in all 16 games and recorded 16 receptions for 142 yards in 16 games and 10 starts.

In the 2020 season, James had 14 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 10 starts. He was released on March 12, 2021.

Chicago Bears On July 25, 2021, James signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears. In the 2021 season, he had seven receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown in 14 games and nine starts.

Cleveland Browns On September 5, 2022, James signed with the Cleveland Browns. He was placed on injured reserve on September 20. James appeared in two games in the 2022 season and recorded no statistics.

New Orleans Saints On May 31, 2023, James signed with the New Orleans Saints. He was released on August 29 as a part of the team's final roster cuts.

Las Vegas Raiders On November 8, 2023, James was signed to the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders. He was released on November 21.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2015 PIT 8 2 8 56 7.0 20 1 0 0 2016 PIT 16 13 39 338 8.7 24 3 0 0 2017 PIT 16 14 43 372 8.7 32 3 0 0 2018 PIT 16 7 30 423 14.1 51 2 0 0 2019 DET 16 10 16 142 8.9 23 0 0 0 2020 DET 16 10 16 129 9.2 31 2 0 0 2021 CHI 14 9 7 62 8.9 19 1 0 0 2022 CLE 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0Career 104 63 157 1,522 9.7 51 12 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2015 PIT 2 0 1 22 22.0 22 0 0 0 2016 PIT 3 3 11 137 12.5 26 0 0 0 2017 PIT 1 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 0 0Career 6 3 13 171 9.7 26 0 0 0

College Season Team Receiving 2012 Penn State 10 15 276 18.4 5 2013 Penn State 10 25 333 13.3 3 2014 Penn State 13 38 396 10.4 3 Career 33 78 1,005 12.9 11