Seven-year NFL veteran running back James White is expected to sign a new contract with the New England Patriots, although the deal is not yet official. White, a former fourth-round pick, has spent the entirety of his professional career with the New England Patriots organization. Jeremy Fowler first broke news of the signing.
Running back James White is expected to re-sign with the New England Patriots, per source. It's not done but should be pretty soon. The versatile RB with 25 touchdown catches since 2014 back in the fold for New England.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 24, 2021
James White, New England Patriots, Expected to Agree to Deal
James White is coming off his least productive year in quite some time. After spending his entire career with Tom Brady, White clearly struggled to develop that same rapport with first-year Patriot Cam Newton. Still, White managed to put together a decent season, recording 49 receptions for 375 yards and one touchdown while adding an additional 35 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
White initially entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Selected by the New England Patriots, the Wisconsin product spent the majority of his first two seasons riding the bench. However, after Dion Lewis suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2015 season, White finally had a chance to prove himself. Taking the pass-catching role and never letting go, the former fourth-round pick finished 2015 with 40 receptions for 410 yards and four touchdowns. With Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski battling injuries late in the year, one could easily argue he was the most consistent part of the passing attack down the stretch.
White built on this positive momentum to develop into one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league. From 2016 to 2019, White recorded 275 receptions for 2,376 yards and 20 touchdowns to go along with 1,025 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Of course, these are only regular season numbers, and White usually saved his best work for the postseason.
The running back has several impressive postseason moments, but his finest hour came in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons. As one of the key pieces of that historic comeback, White finished his night with 14 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown to go along with six carries for 29 yards and two touchdowns.
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