ALLEN PARK – Jesse James was one of the worst signings of the Bob Quinn era. Now your time in Detroit is also over.
The Lions have decided to release James, according to ESPN, while continuing to cut costs towards the free agency next week. Linebacker Christian Jones and cornerbacks Justin Coleman and Desmond Trufant are also out, while linebacker Jamie Collins has restructured his contract.
Detroit isn’t saving a lot of money by cutting James – about $ 2.1 million, while earning about $ 4.3 million in dead money – but he just wasn’t that good. Lions were desperate for tight ends in 2019 and signed a $ 22.6 million contract with James for four years. It looked like a lot of money for a career reserve in Pittsburgh, but Quinn desperately needed help from the tight end after attacking on other fronts, including a potential exchange for Rob Gronkowski.
Quinn said at the time that he believed James would be able to do so much more if he had the opportunity, but it never came close to happening. James only managed 16 passes in 2019, his worst season since he was a rookie. He promised to be better in 2020, but he was even less productive, taking 14 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not like he’s a masher in the blocking game, ranking 16th as a pass blocker and 35th as a race blocker last year, according to ProFootballFocus.
With that, James will fall as one of the worst signings of the Bob Quinn era. Of course, Quinn also passed TJ Hockenson’s eighth overall pick a few weeks after signing James, and Hockenson has just been nominated for the Pro Bowl. Therefore, Lions have some talent in the position, but they clearly also have profound issues to address in the coming weeks. Hunter Bryant is another pass catcher who will return in 2021, although injuries during his college and professional career make it difficult to project his future.