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The Kansas City Chiefs signed Richie James to a one-year, $1 million deal despite him coming off of a career year. But what really has Chiefs Kingdom in a tizzy are the contract details for James’ deal with the defending Super Bowl champions, specifically the guarantees.
Along with his $152,000 signing bonus, only $400,000 of James’ contract with Kansas City will be guaranteed according to Over The Cap. That means the Chiefs have little to lose if James doesn’t pan out and they release him, but they get a bargain if he performs well.
“Great deal. Especially knowing Pat and Andy will make him look like a WR1,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Good deal, but [it] shows he’s not a lock (to make the roster),” another user wrote.
“Richie James’ contract has $550K in guaranteed money for one season. He might be a bright spot and reliable target, but the money says, for now, he’s the lowest WR in the pecking order,” Matt Connor of Arrowhead Addict wrote. “Adjust your expectations accordingly (including assumptions about making the final roster).”
What to Know About Richie James
Richie James, 27, entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. During his three seasons in San Francisco, he was rather quiet in terms of offensive production.
During his first two NFL seasons, he caught just 15 passes. However, James was much more involved in the return game, as he had 45 returns for a total of 339 yards as a punter returner and 43 returns for 1,008 total yards and 1 touchdown as a kick returner during the same timeframe according to Pro Football Reference.
In Year 3, James saw an uptick in offensive production, as he registered a 23-394-1 stat line during his final season with the 49ers.
In 2022, James signed a one-year, $1.06 million deal with the New York Giants. Kadarius Toney starting the season hurt and then being traded to the Chiefs midseason opened up opportunities for James in New York’s offense, which is why he had a career year in his lone season with the Giants. In 17 regular season games played, he recorded 57 receptions on 70 targets for 569 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also had 24 returns for 174 yards as a punt returner.
James also played well during the postseason, as he registered 11 catches on 16 targets for 82 yards in two games played.
Brett Veach: We Tried to Trade for Richie James
During his media availability on April 20, Chiefs general manager spoke on the Richie James signing and revealed that Kansas City actually tried to trade for James when he played for the 49ers.
“Actually, I think a few years ago there was a trading deadline period when he was with the [San Francisco 49ers], I think we actually tried to trade for him — one of those waiver wire cut day deals, Veach said. “Always liked the player, think he’s a versatile guy, and he also does punt returns too, so we can take some pressure off of KT [Kadarius Toney] or Skyy [Moore] or whoever’s back there — having another guy is something that we think is a plus.”
James joins a Chiefs receiver room that includes Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Justyn Ross, John Ross, Cornell Powell, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Jerrion Ealy, and Ty Fryfogle.
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