Unbelievable: The highly dedicated player for the Giants surprised the entire team by announcing with audacity that he intended to leave the team after receiving a sizable offer from…
Richie James, a wide receiver and punt returner for the New York Giants, is aware of the highs and lows of an NFL season and, consequently, an NFL career.
James has had ups and downs, but he’s back on the upswing for the 2022 Giants. That’s kind of how things have gone for the 27-year-old since the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
James was the most dependable wide receiver for the Giants at the start of the season. He had 14 receptions for 147 yards (10.5 yards per catch) after three games. James then dropped out of the offense’s plans, catching just six catches over the next six games. Only four offensive snaps were played by him in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. He didn’t see the field at all on the offensive in Week 9 against the Houston Texans.
For the first eight weeks of the season, James was the Giants’ punt returner. However, he lost his position due to two mishandled fumbles that resulted in a 27-13 loss against the Seahawks.
It was easy. In the Giants’ locker room on Tuesday, James remarked, “It was football, part of the game.” “I made errors, and those were my faults. But I no longer give that any attention. Simply put, messed up.
James is fully back on the Giants’ good side at this point.
With rookie Wan’Dale Robinson out for the season, he has 22 receptions in the last five weeks. With 42 receptions, he now leads the Giants wide receivers, considerably exceeding his previous career high of 23. Adoree’ Jackson is out with an MCL sprain, but he is back returning punts.
“Unfortunately, in order for me to have the chance to return to the field, some things had to happen that [I] didn’t want to happen,” James stated. “Nevertheless, I’m going to work hard in this situation regardless of that.”
James’ performance was crucial to the Giants’ decisive 20–12 triumph over the Washington Commanders on Sunday evening.
He had four receptions for 42 yards as a receiver. James recorded crucial first-down grabs on third-and-nine and fourth-and-nine plays during the Giants’ 18-play, 97-yard touchdown drive.
Throughout my career, I produced a lot of plays. I frequently make plays that change the course of the game. Naturally, it’s wonderful to catch any ball since, well, it goes unnoticed when you’re just a backup. regardless of whether it’s the first or third down,” James remarked. “It seems like a catch to me. Thus, that is what I do.
Quarterback Daniel Jones stated, “He’s been really big for us.” “The other night, he made some crucial plays on crucial downs.” Simply put, he is very reliable on a daily basis. You are fully aware of what to expect from him. His strategy has been excellent. You like working with such guys, as a quarterback. He’s consistently shown his commitment. He is deserving of great praise.
Washington decided to punt on fourth-and-12 from the New York 34-yard line, and James had the finest punt return of the season with a 23-yard gain.
During the punt return, James took a slight chance by returning the ball from the Giants’ 7-yard line, while Commanders’ punter Tress Way kicked into a short field.
Really, though, it was only a reflex. I noticed that the field was quite little and the ball was quite high. Thus, I already understood that he was attempting to down [it] within the ten,” James remarked. “But I noticed the gunner to my right, and he was following me. I looked, and I know the backside gunner’s rule is to come head up, but he was still way outside.” I glanced over at the guys inside, and they were still a good fifteen to twenty yards away. I therefore thought, “I’m going to take this and get some yards.”
After a rocky tenure with the 49ers, James inked an offseason deal with the Giants.
James played for a San Francisco squad that finished the 2019 season in the Super Bowl. Despite returning 33 punts and 20 kickoffs, he only caught six passes that season. He claimed to be “just there,” adding simply that “my situation was kind of awkward in San Francisco.”
