The Los Angeles Chargers continued their free agent spending spree this week, announcing the signing of center Andre James, who played the past six seasons with the Raiders organization, both in Oakland and Las Vegas. James had been the starting center for the past four seasons with the Raiders.
James returns to Los Angeles where he played tackle and started 32 games for the UCLA Bruins. James became the starting left tackle for the Bruins for the 2018 season after left tackle Kolton Miller left for the NFL, where he became a first-round pick of the Raiders and is currently the starting left tackle.
James started all 12 games at left tackle for the Bruins in 2018, opening up holes for former Chargers running back Joshua Kelly, who rushed for 1,243 yards in 2018 for the Bruins. Kelly rushed for a career high 289 yards in a 34-27 win over USC in 2018, with most of the yardage coming behind left tackle James.
James became expendable when the Raiders selected Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Powers-Johnson won the 2023 Rimington Trophy as the top center in FBS college football. Cutting James saved the Raiders $1.49 million against the salary cap.
James became the starter at center for the Raiders in 2021. He joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2019, having never played the center position in either college at UCLA or in high school at Herriman high school in Herriman, Utah. James played in 89 games with the Raiders, starting in 60 games for the team.
In 2022 with the Raiders, James was part of an offensive line that opened up holes for running back Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing yardage with 1,653 yards that year and was named first-team All-Pro at running back. James was also the starting center in the overtime victory over the Chargers that earned the Raiders a playoff trip and cost the Chargers a playoff opportunity.
James steadily improved playing for the Raiders over the past four years since becoming the team’s starting center, enjoying his best season in 2023. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave James a grade of 74.6 in 2023, which was a career high and ranked ninth among centers in the NFL. In 2024, James struggled with injuries that caused him to miss six games.
Spotrac.com is reporting that James’ contract with the Chargers is for one season at $1.170 million. At a minimum James will add depth at center, but it would not be surprising to see him win the starting job, either. James is 27 years old and will fit in well with the other four starters on the offensive line, who are all 26 years old or younger.