Ja’Wuan James, an offensive tackle who the Denver Broncos placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list and then released last month, filed a grievance against the team on Monday, asking for $15 million.
Additionally, on Monday, James and the Baltimore Ravens reached an agreement on a two-year deal worth up to $9 million with $500,000 in guarantees. The agreement with the Ravens, which is pending a physical, was first announced by ESPN.
Early in May, James, 29, tore his Achilles while working out outside of the team’s facilities. The Broncos then put him on the reserve/NFI list, which gives them the option of deciding whether or not to pay his contract. On May 14, the Broncos terminated James after deciding not to pay him his $10 million contract for 2021.
For the 2022 season, James is asking for that $10 million and $5 million. The injury “was sustained in the course and scope of his football training,” according to James
The league notably mentioned James’ circumstance and noted that injuries experienced by players working out on their own are non-football injuries and outside of usual contract guarantees in a letter released following James’ injury.
“It was gutless to utilize a player’s critical injury as a fear tactic to get you to come running back to (voluntary offseason) workouts,” the NFL Players Association wrote in response to the NFL’s statement to players.
James signed a four-year, $51 million contract with the Broncos in March 2019, but he only saw 63 offensive snaps in three games over the course of his two seasons with the team.
He was hampered by a knee injury in 2019 and decided against playing in 2020, which resulted in a one-year penalty on his contract. In 2019, he received $17 million.
How Much Does Ja’Wuan James Make?
The average salary for Ja’Wuan James is $2,287,500 per year. In 2022, James’ base salary will be $2,500,000 and his roster bonus will be $500,000. His cap hit will be $3,250,000.