After two seasons in Detroit, Jesse James is no longer part of the Detroit Lions. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Lions launched the veteran tight end.
Originally signed with the Lions to help with the lack of depth in the tight end position after Eric Ebron’s split, James never responded to the hype. Despite signing a four-year, $ 22.6 million contract with Lions, James managed only 30 passes for 271 yards in two seasons. He had more production with the Pittsburgh Steelers in each of his three seasons before landing in Detroit.
When Lions recruited TJ Hockenson the same year they acquired James, the former Steeler clearly took second place in terms of priority and was overshadowed by the next two seasons.
James was supposed to count $ 6.43 million against the limit this year, but Detroit will release $ 2.14 million when he is released. If Lions decide to designate James with a June 1 release, they can release $ 5 million in limit space this year and incur a $ 2.86 million dead limit in 2022.
The Lions will now move on with Hockenson and Hunter Bryant as their first two tight ends. They also hired Alize Mack and Hunter Thedford for future contracts. However, expect Lions to use the free agency to add some depth. It is important to note that the Saints recently launched two tight ends at Josh Hill and Jared Cook. Lions head coach Dan Campbell trained them directly last year in New Orleans.