Drew Rosenhaus reveals which position LeBron James would excel at in the NFL

LeBron James chose basketball but there were many paths available to him. In a conversation with On3’s Phillip Dukes, sports agent Drew Rosenhaus revealed what he believes an NFL career for James would have looked like.

“I don’t have any doubt whatever LeBron did, he’d be one of the greats,” Rosenhaus said. “I certainly think he would have gone down as an all-star tight end. He’s so athletic and so tough and competitive and smart that he would have been a great football player.

“You could have lined him up as a big, physical receiver. You could have probably played him as an edge rusher or a linebacker, maybe even a deluxe strong safety. LeBron can do it all. He’s one of the all-time great athletes of our generation. Regardless of sport, I would have loved to see him play football and he obviously would have been an incredible client to represent in the NFL.”

Rosenhaus would know. He owns the Miami-based sports agency Rosenhaus Sports and has negotiated over $7 billion of NFL contracts. In 2022, Rosenhaus negotiated a four-year, $120 million contract for wide receiver Tyreek Hill with the Miami Dolphins.

The deal made Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history by average annual contract value and total guaranteed compensation. Hill is far from Rosenhaus’ only high-level client. The 57-year-old agent has also represented Antonio Brown, Chad Johnson and Aaron Jones.

Evidently, he believes James could have been another elite talent in the NFL. It’s not pure speculation on Rosenhaus’ end. James played wide receiver for St. Vincent–St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, and was a first-team all-state selection when he was only a sophomore.

In his junior season, James led St. Vincent–St. Mary’s to the state semifinals and received interest from several Power Five programs, including Notre Dame. Nonetheless, James didn’t play football his senior year after suffering a wrist injury in AAU basketball.

Of course, if James ever wanted to make a return to the gridiron, Rosenhaus knows exactly how he would advise him.

“What I would recommend to LeBron is, I think he could be an outstanding move tight end,” Rosenhaus said. “I wouldn’t use him as an inline tight end, but I would play him like a Travis Kelce, where he would be on the line of scrimmage, but would primarily be a receiving tight end.”

Despite any teases from James, fans shouldn’t expect to see the NBA legend running routes anytime soon. LeBron James will be too busy teaming up with his son, Bronny, in the 2024-25 season on the Los Angeles Lakers.