James Wilder Jr.

James Curtis Wilder Jr. (born April 14, 1992) is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played three seasons for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL, winning the Grey Cup in 2017 and the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award for 2017. Wilder played college football at Florida State, where he was part of the team that won the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Montreal Alouettes.

For his father, see James Wilder Sr.. For other people of the same name, see James Wilder.

James Wilder Jr.
refer to caption
Wilder Jr. yells during a 2018 regular season game
Personal information
Born: (1992-04-14) April 14, 1992
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:Henry B. Plant (Tampa, Florida)
College:Florida State
Position:Running back
Undrafted:2014
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Career CFL statistics
Attempts:502
Rushing yards:2,793
Rushing touchdowns:11
Receptions:182
Receiving yards:1,713
Player stats at NFL.com · CFL.ca

High school career

He attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. Wilder was considered the No. 1 athlete recruit in the nation in his class by Rivals.com.

In 2009, Wilder ran for 1,004 yards and 15 touchdowns, while registering 136 tackles (66 solo) and 19 quarterback sacks on defense. He was named the High School Junior of the Year by Rivals.com, as well as 2009 USA Today All-American. Wilder was selected to play in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[1]

College career

Wilder attended Florida State University from 2011 to 2013. He selected Florida State over the University of Florida and the University of Georgia.[2] In 2012, Wilder had a breakout season, running for 635 rushing yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns. Wilder won Offensive MVP for the 2012 ACC Championship Game. In 2013, Wilder averaged 7 yards per carry. Wilder was named All-ACC Honorable Mention.[3]

Wilder rushed for 1,363 yards with 20 rushing touchdowns during his career at Florida State University. He entered the 2014 NFL Draft after his junior season.[4]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		 232 lb
(105 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.65 s1.68 s2.68 s4.24 s6.92 s35 in
(0.89 m)		10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		18 reps
All values from NFL Combine, 40-yard dash from Pro Day[5]
Wilder with the Buffalo Bills in 2016

Cincinnati Bengals

On May 12, 2014, Wilder was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals. On August 30, 2014, he was waived by the Bengals. He was signed to the Bengals' practice squad after clearing waivers. On January 14, 2015, Wilder signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Bengals.[6] On the following day, he was signed to the Bengals' practice squad.[7]

Buffalo Bills

On January 20, 2016, Wilder signed a reserve/future contract with the Buffalo Bills.[8] On September 2, 2016, he was waived/injured by the Bills.[9] He was then placed on injured reserve. He was released by the Bills on September 27, 2016.

Toronto Argonauts

Wilder signed with the Toronto Argonauts on March 14, 2017, reuniting head coach Marc Trestman with the family, as Trestman was a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach when Wilder's father was a running back on the team.[10] Following an injury to starting running back Brandon Whittaker, Wilder made his first professional start on July 24, 2017, against the Ottawa Redblacks.[11] Wilder took over the starting running back role in September, earning consecutive player of week honors in weeks 13 and 14, gaining 257 and 218 yards from scrimmage in each game, respectively.[12] He amassed 872 yards and 5 touchdowns on 122 carries, as well as 467 yards on 51 catches, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie on November 23, 2017. While largely contained in both playoff games the Argonauts played in, Wilder rushed for a touchdown in the final game of the year, helping Toronto secure a Grey Cup championship.

In late January 2018 Wilder announced that he was planning to sit out of the Argos' 2018 season in the hopes of pursuing a return to the NFL in 2019.[13] Wilder noted that his current contract of $56,000 (around US$45,000) in 2018, combined with the risk of career ending injury, does not give his family comfort about the future were he to play in 2018.[14] The Argonauts issued a statement in response to Wilder's comments, stating their expectations of him to fulfill his contractual agreement with the organization. Failure to report to the team in due course will likely result in him being placed on the team's suspended list for his decision as per his contractual commitments with the organization.[15] By February 27, 2018, the Argos had reportedly offered Wilder a contract extension which would make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the league.[16] On March 3, 2018, the Argos and Wilder agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping him in Toronto through the 2019 season.[17] The deal is reportedly worth $100,000 per year, with no signing bonus.[18] Wilder played in the first 13 games of the season for the Argos, before suffering a leg injury in Week 16.[19]

Wilder, who began the 2019 season as the Argos' starting running back, was listed as a healthy-scratch by the Argos during the team's August 16, 2019 loss to the Eskimos: The loss pushed the Argos record to 1–7.[20] He finished the 2019 season playing in 14 games, rushing 92 times for 464 yards and one touchdown and catching 47 passes for 415 receiving yards and four touchdowns.[21] Prior to entering free agency, Wilder was released upon his request on November 25, 2019.[21]

Montreal Alouettes

On January 30, 2020, Wilder signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes.[22] It was a self-negotiated contract, reportedly for $90,000.[23] In late June 2020, at age 28, due to uncertainty over the 2020 CFL season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he announced his retirement from playing before being able to play a game with Montreal; he had already received a $25,000 signing bonus from his contract.[24] He accepted a coaching position at his former high school in Tampa, Florida.[25]

Edmonton Elks

On February 9, 2021, Wilder came out of retirement to sign a one-year contract with the Edmonton Elks.[26] Wilder played in 12 games for the Elks in 2021, serving as the team's starting running back carrying the ball 142 times for 770 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 226 yards and one receiving touchdown. On January 24, 2022, Wilder and the Elks agreed to a one-year contract extension.[27] Wilder played in only three games during the 2022 season as his season was cut short by a neck injury which will require surgery in order to play professional football again.[28] On March 29, 2023, the Elks released Wilder.[29]

James Wilder Jr. wears his signature "Get Wilder" hoodie at Sweatshoppe TO.

Personal

His father James Wilder Sr. was an NFL running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[30] In January 2014, James Wilder launched his clothing line, I Am Wilder Apparel.[31] Wilder Jr. and Wilder Sr. also announced that they would be opening and lending their names to a training facility in Tampa Bay, which help prompt Wilder's decision to retire, stating, "I have a lot of tread on the tires, but it's a decision I have to make right now."[32]

Wilder has also participated in activism. He was a frequent protester in Houston during Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd.[33] Wilder also started the #RunWILDERForACure hashtag once he assumed the starting tailback role in 2017, challenging other CFL running backs to donate a dollar for every yard they gained and $100 for each touchdown they scored towards breast cancer research. Several NFL rushers also joined in the initiative.[34] Wilder participated in at least the first three seasons of this CFL career.[35]

References
  1. "2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Tour". Rivals.com.
  2. Encina, Eduardo A. (November 12, 2010). "Plant's Wilder still firm in FSU pledge, promises more commitments for Noles". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  3. "James Wilder Jr. Bio". Archived from the original on April 4, 2014.
  4. 2014 NFL Draft: Florida State RB James Wilder Jr. entering draft
  5. "Hall of Football".
  6. Harvey, Coley (September 5, 2015). "Cincinnati Bengals cut 21 players, put Vontaze Burfict on PUP". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  7. Hobson, Geoff (September 6, 2015). "Bengals stay pat, but get their practice squad". Bengals.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  8. Brown, Chris (January 20, 2016). "RB James Wilder Jr. signed by the Bills". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  9. Brown, Chris (September 2, 2016). "Vets Felton and Lawson headline Bills cut to 53". BuffaloBills.com.
  10. "SIGNING: ARGOS ADD BROOKS, JACOBS AND WILDER JR". argonauts.ca. March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  11. RALPH, DAN (July 23, 2017). "Rookie running back James Wilder Jr. to start for Argos versus Redblacks". Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  12. "Argos' James Wilder Jr. named top performer for a second straight week after another huge game". The Toronto Star. September 26, 2017. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  13. "Report: Argos' Wilder says he won't play next season - Article - TSN". TSN. January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  14. "Argos RB James Wilder Jr. issues statement, says he won't play in 2018 - 3DownNation". 3DownNation. January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  15. "Argos issue statement in response to Wilder announcement - CFL.ca". CFL.ca. January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  16. "Argos offer Wilder a contract extension - Article - TSN". TSN. February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  17. "Argonauts officially sign star RB Wilder Jr. to extension - Article - TSN". TSN. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  18. "What the Argos are offering James Wilder Jr. - 3DownNation". 3DownNation. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  19. "Argos' Wilder (leg) listed as week-to-week - TSN.ca". TSN. October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  20. Rebelo, Marcus (August 17, 2019). "Wilder's status with Argos uncertain as painful season continues". The Toronto Observer. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  21. "Argos grant Wilder Jr's request for release". cfl.ca. November 25, 2019.
  22. "Als sign James Wilder Jr. to one-year contract". CFL. January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  23. Gazette, Herb Zurkowsky (January 31, 2020). "Als sign bruising RB Wilder to fill void left by Stanback's departure". National Post.
  24. "Running back James Wilder Jr. Retires from the CFL due to COVID-19 uncertainty | 3DownNation". June 24, 2020.
  25. @tsndavenaylor (June 24, 2020). "Dave Naylor reports James Wilder's retirement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. "EE Football Team signs James Wilder Jr". Esks.com. February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  27. TSN ca Staff (January 24, 2022). "Report: Elks re-sign RB Wilder Jr. on one-year deal - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  28. 3Down Staff (August 18, 2022). "Edmonton Elks' running back James Wilder Jr. announces his 2022 season over due to injury, will require spinal surgery to continue CFL career". 3DownNation. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  29. TSN ca Staff (March 29, 2023). "Edmonton Elks release former Most Outstanding Rookie James Wilder Jr". TSN. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  30. Johnston, Joey (October 2, 2009). "Versatile Wilder getting first taste of Plant-Armwood". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013.
  31. "I Am Wilder Apparel".
  32. "Get Wilder Fitness, high school coaching job draws James Wilder Jr. Off the football field | 3DownNation". June 24, 2020.
  33. "Alouettes' James Wilder participates in peaceful protests in Houston".
  34. "Running with Purpose: Wilder galvanizing CFL, NFL backs for a cause". October 4, 2017.
  35. "Wilder Jr. Aims to run wild in support of breast cancer research".
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