Raiders Rumors: Center Andre James Signed to 3-Year, $24M Contract Ahead of FA

The Las Vegas Raiders re-signed center Andre James on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

James received a three-year contract worth $24 million, with $16 million guaranteed. He's set to earn $10 million in the first year of the deal, per Rapoport.

The 26-year-old began his career with the organization after going undrafted in 2019, gradually developing into a starter. In 2023, James started in 16 regular-season games for the team.

He'll provide consistency for head coach Antonio Pierce's offense, as the team was in danger of losing three offensive line starters on the open market. Right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor are both headed towards free agency.

As for James, he remained steady in both pass protection and run blocking during his 2023 campaign. Pro Football Focus gave him an impressive grade of 74.6 for his efforts, the highest mark of his career. He allowed four sacks and committed only three penalties in 963 snaps played.

The UCLA product initially signed a two-year extension with the team worth $8.6 million in March 2021, per Spotrac. James has also been able to stay healthy since he became a full-time starter, appearing in 48 of a possible 51 regular-season games over the past three seasons. During his 2021 campaign, he was on the field for all 1,140 snaps that Las Vegas' offense played (via Pro Football Reference).

Although the Raiders' rushing attack was disappointing in 2023 by averaging just 90.7 yards per game, the third-worst mark in the NFL, James and the rest of Las Vegas' presumably revamped offensive line will attempt to help the team get back on track.