James has officially filed a grievance against the team after the offensive lineman was cut following a torn Achilles suffered while working out away from Denver’s camp. Because he was away from the facility when the injury occurred, the Broncos were able to designate it as a “non-football injury.”
So, by rule, the Broncos were able to cut James without paying his $10 million salary for 2021.
However, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, James is seeking $15 million in the grievance. Why? Because while he may have suffered the injury away from the facility, it happened because he was preparing for the 2021 season after sitting out the 2020 campaign.
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Unfortunately for James, the rules don’t appear to be on his side, as has been outlined by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
So, it seems like it will be very difficult for James to win this grievance. Nonetheless, it’s worth trying as he looks to get some sort of compensation for his injury.
On the bright side for James, he did land with another NFL team. The Ravens signed him to a two-year deal worth $9 million. As Schefter explained, the Ravens will effectively pay James $500,000 to rehab this season before he competes for a tackle job in 2022.
James is still just 29, so this is a good buy-low move for the Ravens. It will give them another future starting tackle option as they look to replace Orlando Brown Jr., who they traded to the Chiefs this offseason.
Currently, 32-year-old Alejandro Villanueva is penciled in as the starting right tackle, but perhaps James could push him or provide insurance for the veteran during the ‘22 campaign.
