After a year’s delay, running back Edgerrin James will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. In a career that saw him primarily represent the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, let’s take a look back at James’ Hall-of-Fame career, his stats, and his net worth at the end of his professional career.
Edgerrin James’ Hall-of-Fame career
James was a superstar before he came to the NFL. At the University of Miami, he was one of the most successful running backs in the school’s history. In his three-year career, James amassed 2,960 rushing yards, scoring 32 touchdowns. Additionally, he contributed 595 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns on 42 receptions.
When James’ career at Miami ended, he led the school in single-season rushing yards and touchdowns. Furthermore, he was second in career rushing yards and touchdowns.
While a number of James’ records have been beaten by either Willis McGahee or Duke Johnson, he still holds the top two spots in terms of rushing yards per game for a Hurricane. At the time, James was the only back in school history to post two consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He also ranked first in 100-plus-rushing games with 14.
James performed under pressure to start his career
Following his impressive college career, James was selected fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Colts. Replacing Marshall Faulk as the Colts’ RB, there was a lot of pressure on James to start his professional career. Not only did Faulk lead the league in scrimmage yards with 2,227 in 1998, but the Colts selected James over Heisman Trophy-winner Ricky Williams.
However, James was not fazed by the pressure. He led the league in carries (369) and rushing yards (1,553) while finishing second (behind Faulk) in yards from scrimmage (2,139). Those numbers earned James the 1999 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award from the Associated Press. He was also named a first-team All-Pro in 1999.
James would then back up that rookie campaign by once again leading the league in rushing yards (1,709) as well as topping the list in scrimmage yards (2,303) in his second season. In 2000, James would be named to the second-team All-Pro and voted to his second straight Pro Bowl. In Year 3, James was on pace to lead the league again before tearing his ACL six weeks into the season.
James finished his Colts’ career strongly after recovering from injury
While he struggled in 2002-2003, James would bounce back in his 2004 and 2005 seasons. He topped 1,500 rushing yards in both and averaged 1,937 scrimmage yards across those two seasons.
As a result, he was named a second-team All-Pro by the AP in 2004. He was then rewarded a first-team All-Pro by the Pro Football Writers Association in 2005, but not by the AP.
James’ career in Indianapolis ended after 2005. When he left, he was the Colts’ rushing yards leader with 9,226 yards. As of 2020, no back is within 3,500 yards of his total. He also leads the organization in rushing touchdowns with 64.
James was inducted into the Colts’ Ring of Honor in Week 3 of the 2012 season. While he never won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis, he does have a Super Bowl ring. The year after James left, the Colts won Super Bowl XLI. As a mark of respect for all he had achieved with the organization, Jim Irsay sent James a Super Bowl ring.
James continued posting 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Arizona Cardinals
During the 2006 offseason, James made the switch to Arizona. James continued to receive heavy usage, carrying the ball 661 times and being targeted 100 times over the next two seasons. Still, while he posted 1,000-yard seasons in 2006 and 2007, his efficiency was far below his Colts’ career.
In 2008, while James’ workload decreased, his experience as a pass protector was heavily leaned upon in the regular season. Nevertheless, in the playoffs, James would prove his worth once again.
As Arizona marched through the NFC side of the playoffs, James carried the ball 52 times for 203 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals advanced to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Arizona would ultimately fall short in what would be James’ final game for the Cardinals.
James finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks before officially retiring in 2011. In 2010, James was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. Additionally, his impressive career saw him rank 10th on Pro Football Network’s all-time running back rankings.
Edgerrin James’ stats
James’ career stats make for impressive reading. He finished his career with 3,028 carries, 12,246 rushing yards, and 80 rushing touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, he ranked 11th all-time in rushing yards and 15th in rushing touchdowns.
James was also a key contributor in the passing game in his career. On a total of 580 targets, he had 433 receptions, 3,364 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. That left him with overall scrimmage numbers of 15,610 yards and 91 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, James ranked 13th in scrimmage yards and 31st in touchdowns.
James’ stats with the Colts
James’ stats with the Colts deserve their own mention because of just how good they are. He finished his career in Indianapolis with 2,188 carries, 9,226 rushing yards, and 64 touchdowns. Additionally, he recorded 3,839 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 356 receptions from 459 targets. James finished his career in Indianapolis with 12,065 yards from scrimmage on 2,544 touches, with 75 total touchdowns.
NFL 2000s All-Decade team
Between 2000 and 2009, James was second only to LaDainian Tomlinson in rushing yards with 10,693. Furthermore, he ranked fifth in rushing touchdowns with 67. Meanwhile, among running backs, James ranked eighth in receptions with 371 and 11th in receiving yards (2,778). All of that resulted in James ranking second in the decade in yards from scrimmage (13,471) and eighth in touchdowns (74).
Edgerrin James’ career accolades
Here is a list of all of the accolades that James garnered during his Hall-of-Fame career.
- NFL 2000s All-Decade team
- 1 x AP first-team All-Pro (1999)
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1999)
- 2 x NFL rushing yards leaders (1999 & 2000)
- 2 x second-team All-Pro (2000 & 2004)
- 4 x Pro Bowl (1999, 2000, 2004 & 2005)
- Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor
Edgerrin James’ net worth
As of 2021, James has a reported net worth of $40 million. The majority of that was earned throughout his football career. Following the 1999 NFL Draft, James signed a seven-year contract worth $49 million, including a $9.5 million signing bonus.
However, the seventh year of that deal was voided after James reached playing time incentives. Therefore, James played on the franchise tag in 2005, which earned him $9.1 million for the season.
As a free agent in 2006, James signed a four-year contract worth $30 million. He would ultimately earn $25 million after the Cardinals granted his release in 2009. He would finish his career on a one-year contract with the Seahawks, earning another $1.7 million.
James’ reported career earnings, per Spotrac, totals at $68.9 million.
Ben Rolfe is a Senior Managing Editor at Pro Football Network and is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can find him on Twitter @BenRolfePFN.