Lions Will Release Tight End Jesse James

The Detroit Lions will release tight end Jesse James after two seasons in Detroit.

Tight end Jesse James was never able to live up to the contract given by former Lions general manager Bob Quinn. 

According to ESPN, the veteran tight end will be released by Detroit in a move intended to aid the team's current salary-cap situation. 

Lions released TE Jesse James, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2021

When Quinn signed James in 2019 to a four-year, $22.6 million contract, it was fair to say the organization had some relatively high expectations for the ex-Steelers tight end.

And he didn't come anywhere close to meeting them.

"It wasn't a great year -- tough. The toughest year I had as a pro for sure," James said following his first season in Detroit. "A lot of learning. Just worked as hard as you could all year, and nothing really ended up working out for me personally. It's just part of the job, and didn't change the way I approach the work week. I learned a lot. Got better. I feel like I've improved a lot since then."

The 2020 campaign did not go that much better for James, as he simply was not utilized much in Darrell Bevell's offense -- despite the former Detroit offensive coordinator expressing that James would be included more often. 

In two seasons, James only recorded 30 receptions for 271 yards. 

The move saves the Lions $2.1 million on this year's cap. 

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