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Former Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James is strongly considering filing a grievance through the NFL Players Association for lost wages after he tore his Achilles tendon away from the team facility, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Saturday. James, who was released Friday with a post-June 1 designation, could seek more than $10 million in salary for the 2021 season that the Broncos appear likely won't cover after they designated him with a non-football injury. The injury has already been a flashpoint between the NFL and the NFLPA over the "non-football injury" designation, which means teams are not required to pay players their full base salaries if they were injured outside of team facilities. The day after James was injured earlier this month, he was specifically named in a memo from the NFL's management council to team executives and head coaches. In that memo it was outlined under the "Non-Football Injuries" designation that teams like the Broncos would have "no contractual obligation'' to pay players like James who were injured away from the team facilities. The memo also outlined why a player's salary would be paid if the injury had been suffered during a workout at a team's complex. The memo also said: "Clubs are encouraged to remind players of the significant injury-related protection provided if they choose to work out at the club facility and the risks they undertake in choosing to train at a non-NFL location.'' The NFLPA responded two days later in an email to players that said: "It was gutless to use a player's serious injury as a scare tactic to get you to come running back to these workouts.'' Free-agent safety and NFLPA executive board member Michael Thomas also told ESPN's Dan Graziano this week that "all the players are watching" how James' situation plays out. The 28-year-old James suffered his season-ending injury earlier this month. On Friday, he posted on social media that his "surgery went well," adding: "Appreciate everyone reaching out. Always remaining positive & striving to be better than yesterday." Broncos wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, whom Denver was trying to trade in recent days, also suffered a torn knee ligament in a workout away from the team's complex, according to ESPN and multiple reports. ESPN's Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
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