Report: Ja'Wuan James Cryptic Tweet 'Unrelated' to Status with Broncos
Ja'Wuan James (remember him?) caused a stir on Broncos Twitter Wednesday after firing off a vague missive that prompted vitriolic speculation about the $51 million right tackle's tenuous future in Denver.
"it was meant to happen," James wrote, with no explanation.
Ominous, right?
Not so much, apparently.
Seventy minutes later, 9News insider Mike Klis put to bed the dot-connecting, confirming — presumably through team sources — that James' tweet is "unr elated" to his status with the organization.
A few hours later, James himself clarified "it was a drake line relax lol what’s meant to be in life is meant to be."
So ends the battle, but not the war. The reaction to James' allegedly innocuous post is an indicator that remains a bone of contention within the fan base following two disastrous seasons in which he's contributed a whopping 63 snaps across three appearances — or $202,380 per snap.
The former Dolphins first-round pick, who inked a four-year free-agent deal with Denver in March 2019, received criticism from those who felt he could have played through injuries at various points across the 2019 regular season.
Another domino fell last August when James decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Which was his right, but it did little to dispel the censure, nor, apparently, improve his standing with the players who sacrifice their health for blood, sweat, and tears. For football. For the Broncos.
“I’ve talked to him now and then. He knows what he has to do to get back into the room, and he knows what he has to do to earn our trust back," Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles told reporters last month. "At the same time, we’re going to open our arms and love him and take care of him. He has a lot of work to do to get where he needs to be, and I know he’ll do that.”
James will return atop the depth chart in 2021 as Denver would incur a cap-killing $19 million dead money charge by releasing him this league year.
Whether he remains atop the depth chart is a different story entirely.
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