Richie James

Richie James

James in 2017
No. 17 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1995-09-05) September 5, 1995 (age 28) Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:	Riverview (Sarasota, Florida)
College:	Middle Tennessee (2014–2017)
NFL draft:	2018  / Round: 7 / Pick: 240
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2018–2021) New York Giants (2022) Kansas City Chiefs (2023–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (LVIII)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions: 105 Receiving yards: 1,372 Return yards: 2,015 Total touchdowns: 8
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Richard Rhondel James Jr. (born September 5, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Middle Tennessee and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has also played for the New York Giants. With the Chiefs, he won Super Bowl LVIII over the 49ers.

Early years

James attended Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida. ^[1] Along with playing football, he also participated and lettered in track, winning multiple state titles. ^[2] James originally committed to play football for the Georgia Southern Eagles in December 2013, but decommitted after a coaching change. He then committed to play football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in January 2014 and signed in February 2014. ^[3]

College career

James did not play as a true freshman in 2014 and ended up choosing to redshirt. ^[4]

As a redshirt freshman in 2015, James played in all 13 of Middle Tennessee's games, catching 108 passes for 1,346 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. ^[5] He was named to the 2015 All-Conference USA (C-USA) First Team ^[6] and the 2015 C-USA All-Freshman Team. ^[7]

In 2016, James once again played in all 13 games, catching 105 passes for 1,625 yards, tallying 12 touchdowns, along with rushing for 339 yards and four touchdowns on 38 attempts. ^[8] He was named to the 2016 C-USA All-Conference First Team. ^[9]

As a redshirt junior in 2017, James played in five games, catching 31 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. However, he broke his collarbone against Marshall and was ruled out for the season. ^[10] During his limited playing time in 2017, James became Middle Tennessee's career leader in receiving yards (3,261) and receiving touchdowns (23). After the season, James declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[11]

Collegiate statistics

Year	School	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
2015	MTSU	13	107	1,334	12.5	8
2016	MTSU	13	105	1,625	15.5	12
2017	MTSU	5	31	290	9.4	3
Career		31	243	3,249	13.4	23

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.48 s	1.56 s	2.62 s	4.16 s	6.87 s	35.5 in (0.90 m)	10 ft 2 in (3.10 m)	6 reps
All values from NFL Combine [12] [13]

San Francisco 49ers

James was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round with the 240th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[14]

During Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, he made his first NFL reception, which went for seven yards. ^[15] During a Week 14 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, James scored his first NFL touchdown after returning a 97-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, he caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.

James finished his rookie year with 655 return yards and a touchdown along with nine receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. ^[16]

James was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the 49ers on July 27, 2020. ^[17] He was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and subsequently placed on the active/non-football injury list eight days later. ^[18] He was activated on September 3, 2020. ^[19] He was placed on injured reserve on September 18, 2020, after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1. ^[20] He was designated to return from injured reserve on October 7, and began practicing with the team again. ^[21] He was activated on October 17. ^[22]

On November 5, 2020, on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, James had nine receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown, which was higher than either of his season totals in 2018 and 2019. However the 49ers lost 34–17. ^{[23] [24]}

On August 28, 2021, James was waived/injured by the 49ers after undergoing knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve. ^[25]

New York Giants

On March 25, 2022, James signed with the New York Giants. ^[26] In Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks James fumbled twice on 2 different punt returns. The second fumble came in the fourth quarter and cost the Giants any chance of making a comeback. ^[27]

In the 2022 regular season, James accumulated 57 receptions for 569 yards and four touchdowns, contributing to the Giants' first playoff berth since 2016. ^[28]

Kansas City Chiefs

James signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on April 11, 2023. ^[29] He was placed on injured reserve on September 23, 2023. ^[30] He was activated on November 18. James played in Super Bowl LVIII where the Chiefs beat his former team San Francisco 49ers 25-22. ^[31]

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the Super Bowl
Bold	Career best

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Returning					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2018	SF	13	2	9	130	14.4	53	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	35	655	18.7	97T	1	2	1
2019	SF	16	1	6	165	27.5	57	1	2	-1	-0.5	0	0	53	692	13.1	81	0	1	1
2020	SF	11	7	23	394	17.1	47	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	10	107	10.7	21	0	2	2
2022	NYG	17	4	57	569	10.0	33	4	2	6	3.0	4	0	24	174	7.6	21	0	3	2
2023	KC	9	1	10	114	11.4	45	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	29	387	13.3	31	0	2	1
Career		66	15	105	1,372	13.1	57	7	4	5	1.6	4	0	151	2,015	13.3	97T	1	10	6

References

1. Kohn, Ryan (April 25, 2018). "Sarasota product selected in the 2018 NFL Draft". Your Observer. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
2. "Athlete of the Week: Richie James". YourObserver.com. April 4, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
3. "Suncoast student athletes commit to play in college". MySunCoast. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
4. "49ers' Richie James: Falls to San Francisco". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
5. "Richie James 2015 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
6. "C-USA ANNOUNCES FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS" (PDF). Conference USA. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
7. "Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee State – C-USA All-Freshman Team". Blog Talk Radio. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
8. "Richie James 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
9. "FB: 2016 All-Conference Teams". Conference USA. December 6, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
10. Boclair, David (November 1, 2017). "MTSU's top receiver to miss rest of season". Nashville Post. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
11. "Middle Tennessee's Richie James plans to enter NFL draft". USA Today. Associated Press. December 18, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
12. "Richard James Combine Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
13. "2018 Draft Scout Richie James, Middle Tennessee NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
14. Fann, Joe (April 28, 2018). "San Francisco 49ers Draft MTSU WR Richie James". 49ers.com. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
15. "Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – October 7th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
16. "Richie James Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
17. "49ers Place WR Richie James Jr. on Reserve/Covid-19 List". 49ers.com. July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
18. "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
19. Alper, Josh (September 3, 2020). "49ers activate Richie James from NFI list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
20. "49ers Sign WR Mohamed Sanu; Place WR Richie James on Injured Reserve". 49ers.com. September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
21. Alper, Josh (October 7, 2020). "49ers promote Alex Barrett, designate Richie James for return". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
22. Williams, Charean (October 17, 2020). "49ers activate Richie James from injured reserve". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
23. "Packers vs. 49ers – Game Summary – November 5, 2020". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
24. Chan, Jennifer Lee (November 6, 2020). "James steps up for 49ers, has breakthrough game vs. Packers". RSN. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
25. "49ers Sign WR River Cracraft; Waive WR Richie James". 49ers.com. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
26. Salomone, Dan (March 25, 2022). "Giants reportedly agree to terms with WR Richie James". giants.com.
27. Schwartz, Paul (October 30, 2022). "Giants offense goes quiet in loss to Seahawks as win streak ends". New York Post. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
28. "Richie James 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
29. Teicher, Adam (April 7, 2023). "Chiefs agree to terms with WR Richie James, source says". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
30. Williams, Charean (September 24, 2023). "Chiefs place Richie James on injured reserve". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
31. Maaddi, Rob (February 12, 2024). "Patrick Mahomes rallies the Chiefs to second straight Super Bowl title, 25–22 over 49ers in overtime". AP News. Retrieved February 14, 2024.

External links

• Kansas City Chiefs bio
• Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders bio