Former Tennessee OL Ja'Wuan James' $10 million salary at risk after suffering injury during workout

Former Tennessee OL Ja’Wuan James was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, going to the Miami Dolphins.

He spent the 2014-2018 seasons with the Dolphins, then signed with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2019 season. He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, his 2021 season seems to be over before it has a chance to get started. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, James suffered a torn Achilles on Tuesday during a workout.

And, Schefter adds, since James was working out away from the team facility when he suffered the injury, the Broncos are no longer obligated to pay him his $10 million salary for this season:

Broncos' OT Ja'Wuan James suffered a season-ending torn Achilles working out today away from the team facility, per sources. James' $10 million salary for the upcoming season now is in jeopardy being that Denver no longer is obligated to pay him with him working out off site.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 4, 2021

That is obviously a really tough break for James. We’ll see what the Broncos decide to do with his salary moving forward.