Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James
The ESPN 2 telecast of Monday Night Football, hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning, included a special guest in Week 3 when the Dallas Cowboys faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles.
None other than LeBron James.
The NBA superstar chatted it up with the Manning brothers about several topics, one of which included James potentially being an NFL player. During that conversation, James confirmed that during the 2011 NFL lockout he was offered a contract by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as well as Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to play football.
“I still got the jersey too, that Jerry [Jones] and Pete Carroll sent me from 2011.”
Imagine LeBron on the Cowboys or Seahawks 😳 @KingJames
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Kelce: Bring James to Tight End U
James’ comments were mentioned to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce while being interviewed on ESPN Radio’s KeyShawn, JWill & Max on Wednesday, September 29.
The All-Pro tight end was open to the opportunity to not only welcome James to Tight End University — a brand and training camp created by Kelce, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen to unite tight ends around the league — but also to the Chiefs.
“The invitation for LeBron to come to tight end U is open, man, it’s there,” Kelce said when asked if he would welcome James to Tight End U. “I’ve got him a seat right next to me if he wants to come. We’ll show him a little bit of what it takes, but I think LeBron would fit and match perfectly in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform playing the tight end position.”
Chiefs TE @tkelce says there’s an open invitation to TEU for @KingJames. #KJM
Kelce followed up his on-air comments by commenting on the clip of him on Twitter.
“Us NE Ohio guys are all around athletes!! I know @KingJames would be a dominant force in the TE room!! @te_university let’s get em an invite for next year!!”
@KeyJayandMax @KingJames Us NE Ohio guys are all around athletes!! I know @KingJames would be a dominant force in the TE room!! @te_university let’s get em an invite for next year!!
James responded not long after.
“@tkelce let me know when TE U is going on. I’m pulling up for training and all.”
@tkelce let me know when TE U is going on. I’m pulling up for training and all.
Field Yates on LeBron James’ Fantasy Football Value
During a September 28 interview with Heavy on behalf of Sling TV, ESPN insider and fantasy football analyst Field Yates dove into a hypothetical scenario regarding James playing football in 2021.
Under the parameters that James was 26 years old — the same age he was in 2011 when he was offered a contract by the Cowboys and Seahawks — and playing tight end for Dallas or Seattle, Yates was asked which round he would select James in during a fantasy football draft.
“Fifth-round pick,” Yates told Heavy after a pause, before explaining his reasoning.
“I want to respect the process of being a football player because it’s not like you show up as the best athlete and win. At the same time, LeBron might be the most physically gifted athlete since Michael Jordan, and he might be right there athletically with Michael Jordan, he’s a few inches taller, he’s explosive. So LeBron’s unique, man. I think a fifth-round pick seems like the right price tag for me to be paying in my drafts.”
While James, now 36 years old, will likely not be taking an NFL field anytime soon, it’s still fun to fantasize about how an incredibly talented athlete could translate to one of the biggest, physical stages there are in professional sports.