LeBron James reveals NFL offers from Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks had his ‘blood flowing’

James opted not to take up the offers to play in the NFL

Dylan Terry
Tuesday 28 September 2021 15:56 BST
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LeBron believes he could have made it in the NFL
LeBron believes he could have made it in the NFL (Getty Images)

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LeBron James has revealed he was approached by two NFL teams to play for them 10 years ago.

The NBA legend could not play between July and December of 2011 due to the NBA players’ lockout. This led both the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks to try and sign James, who had been an all-state wide receiver in high school.

He was being looked at by a number of college American football programmes as a youngster but ended up breaking his wrist and missing a key year of development.

His supreme skill on the basketball court took over from there and he ended up packing in football, but the opportunity came up again in 2011.

Speaking on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, he said: “[Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones offered me a contract, [Seahawks head coach] Pete Carroll did as well in Seattle during our lockout time.

“It definitely got my blood flowing again, my mind racing again about the game of football, being out there on Sundays.

“We were able to get a deal done in the NBA and I was back on the court in no time, but I definitely thought about it. I still got the jersey too, that Jerry and Pete Carroll sent me from 2011.”

James is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA. He has won NBA championships with three different franchises - the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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