After four years as the starting center, the Las Vegas Raiders moved on from Andre James this offseason. He was benched during the 2024 season in favor of rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson and hasn't been playing at a high level the last couple of seasons.
Despite that, the Los Angeles Chargers gave him a contract in free agency. It would appear the plan is to have him start at center for them.
It seems hard to believe that he would get a contract after playing so poorly but the Chargers aren't exactly known for making smart decisions. Needless to say, Raiders fans are looking forward to facing James and the Chargers.
Andre James Was Bad in 2024
By all accounts, James is a good teammate and doesn't cause any drama. For a team like the Chargers, he should fit right in.
That said, the Chargers must've not considered that James just isn't that good at football. He had a 55.6 Pro Football Focus grade last season, which was 46th among centers. There are only 32 starting centers in the NFL.
James did have a much better grade in 2023 but that was an outlier as his grade has been very poor every other year of his career. Once he took over for Rodney Hudson, the downgrade was clear and once Powers-Johnson took over at center, it was a major difference for the Raiders offense.
Christian Wilkins should be licking his chops when the Raiders play the Chargers. Sure, there's no guarantee that James will end up as the starting center but Los Angeles is paying him so that's a win for the Raiders too.