Richie James was a surprising weapon on a surprisingly effective Giants offense last season.
In his fourth NFL season, James led all New York wide receivers with 57 receptions, nearly doubling his career total of 38 to that point. He did more than double his touchdowns, increasing his career mark from three scores to seven while amassing 569 receiving yards.
His breakout earned him a one-year deal with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, where James believes he'll be afforded a similar chance to build on a career year.
"It's very similar offenses," James told the Kansas City Star’s Jesse Newell in June. "And you got the smartest and the greatest head coach you can possibly ask for."
Although the Chiefs are once again undergoing a facelift at the position following the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, James is unlikely to find himself at the top of the depth chart in the slot or on the outside.
His former teammate Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling figure as the top two options at wideout, and rookie Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore could also be ahead in the pecking order.
But James is still ready to contribute in whatever way Kansas City sees fit.
"Wherever they put me at, I'm just here to contribute to whatever they want me to do," he said.
Given Andy Reid's aforementioned prowess and quarterback Patrick Mahomes' ability to elicit the best from his pass catchers, plus the unit's top ranking last year in points, total yards and passing yards, there should be plenty of leftover targets to feed James.
He should also be especially adept at corralling any of Mahomes' famous circus throws his way -- James had a catch rate of 81.4% last year and was the best receiver in the NFL in terms of Next Gen Stats' catch rate over expected with +11%.
A former seventh-round pick who recently snuck onto the radar, James could prove another sneaky add by the always-savvy Chiefs in 2023.
When asked what he liked about his newest opportunity, he had an all-encompassing response: "Everything."
