James Laurinaitis

Ever heard of the three-time All-American of the Ohio State who spent seven seasons at St. Louis Rams? Don’t worry if you haven’t.

In fact, the man is James Laurinaitis, who retired in 2017 after playing in National Football League for eight years.

To point out, Laurinaitis is a former American footballer who played at the linebacker position for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints.

Notably, he is the son of Joseph Laurinaitis, a World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestler and a WWE Hall of Famer with the ring name ‘Road Warrior Animal.’

Furthermore, he started serving as a college football analyst at the Big Ten Network. For sure, you would want to know more about his personal and professional life.

Owing to your curiosity, we have prepared an article about him. Let’s dig into it!

Quick Facts:

Full Name James Richard Laurinaitis
Birth Date December 3, 1986
Birth Place Wayzata, Minnesota, United States
Residence Palmyra, Virginia, United States
Nickname James Laurinaitis
Religion Christianity
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Education Wayzata High School, Plymouth, Minnesota

Ohio State University

Horoscope Sagittarius
Father Joseph Michael Laurinaitis
Mother Julie Laurinaitis
Siblings One brother and one sister
Sister Jessica Laurinaitis
Brother Joseph Laurinaitis Jr. (Half-brother)
Age 35 Years Old
Height 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm)
Weight 112 kg (248 lbs)
Build Athletic
Eye color Blue
Hair Color Bald
Profession College Football Analyst

NFL player (former)

Playing Position Linebacker
Active years  (Senior Career) 2009 – 2014
Sexual Orientation Straight
Teams St. Louis Rams (2009 – 2015)

New Orleans Saints (2016)

Jersey number #53 ( New Orleans Saints), #55 ( Los Angeles Rams)
Marital Status Married
Wife’s Name Shelly Williams (m. 2013)
Children Two daughters
Daughters London Laurinaitis

Hayden Laurinaitis

Net Worth $3 million
Career Earnings $35.4 million
Social Media Twitter
Merch Football Card, Autographed helmet,
Last Update July, 2022

The Early Life, Family, and Education of James Laurinaitis

In instance, Laurinaitis was born on December 3, 1986, in the Minnesotan city of Wayzata, which is located in Hennepin County.

To be clear, Joe Laurinaitis, also known as “Road Warrior Animal,” was his father and a former WWE Hall of Famer. In addition, Jessica and Joseph Jr. are his siblings, and Julie was her mother.

Actually, he came from a more athletic family because both of his uncles, Marcus and John, were professional wrestlers.

He quickly enrolled at Wayzata High School, where he started playing hockey and football. In fact, the National Hockey League draft was going to include him.

James, who had a stellar high school hockey career, had different ideas. He wanted to pursue a career in football instead.

In addition, he recorded 193 tackles and five sacks during his senior season while watching the school’s football team compete in the Class 5A state championship game.

James Laurinaitis: Career in college

In 2005, not long after finishing high school, James enrolled at Ohio State University to play football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

He participated in every one of the team’s 12 games during his first season and was ranked No. 2 on the depth chart. Notably, he had started in the Fiesta Bowl victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The team’s best stat for the following season was his 115 tackles with five interceptions and four sacks.

He also won the Nagurski Award given to the nation’s top defensive player. He also earned a berth on the consensus All-American first team as well as the All-Big Ten first team.

His performance levels undoubtedly rose the following season, as evidenced by his inclusion to the All-American first team in 2007.

The following year, he received multiple honors, including the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and the Rotatory Lombardi Award. In fact, for the past three years, he has led his club in tackles.

James Laurinaitis: A career in the industry

Laurinaitis excelled in college, which encouraged him to contend for selection by NFL teams. He joined the NFL Scouting as a result, where he completed all the tasks necessary for his position. He was notably regarded second-best for the inside linebacker potential by analysts like Mike Mayock.

Los Angeles Rams

In the end, he was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was really chosen as the fourth linebacker in the season’s draft.

He soon agreed to a four-year, $5.1 million contract with the Rams, including a $3.3 million guarantee.

And He immediately started working out with the squad as a starting middle linebacker, as later confirmed by coach Steve Spagnuolo.

He really made his debut against the Seattle Seahawks in the regular-season opener. He made a total of 14 tackles in the 28-0 defeat.

Additionally, he made his first interception in October against the Mike Zimmer-coached Minnesota Vikings. Similarly, in week twelve against the Seahawks, he made his first career sack on Matt Hasselbeck.

In his first season, he made 16 games and recorded 120 combined tackles (107 solo), two interceptions, and two sacks.

expanded role within the team

Laurinaitis, meantime, had firmly established himself at his position on the club and earned a berth in the starting lineup.

In a similar manner, in a 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in October 2010, he had eight total tackles, a sack, and an interception. Similar to this, Laurinaitis made a total of 11 tackles in the defeats to the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs.

He did indeed start each of the team’s 16 games during the 2010 campaign, compiling 114 total tackles, three sacks, and an interception.

In the 2011 season, he also made 14 combined tackles against the New York Giants and 13 solo tackles against the Seahawks.

Not to mention, in his 16 games during the 2011 season, he recorded a total of 142 combined tackles, two interceptions, and three sacks.

Contract extension and team restructuring

Notably, Jeff Fisher was appointed head coach in early 2012 after the head coach and general manager were fired. To be clear, Laurinaitis consented to a five-year contract extension worth $42.12 million with a $2 million signing bonus.

In Week 7 of the 2012 season, Laurinaitis had produced a total of 14 tackles against the Green Bay Packers, led by Desmond Howard. He also recorded two pass deflections and 12 total tackles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16. At the end of the season, he had a total of 142 combined tackles and two interceptions.

It comes as no surprise that Laurinaitis started as a middle linebacker for the Rams in 2013 with Tim Walton serving as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

He had two interceptions, 3.5 sacks, and nine pass deflections during the season, and his performance has improved each season.

Rams’ Key Player and Departure

James was always a crucial component of the defense in the middle linebacker position, regardless of the team’s coach or defensive coordinator.

In notably, he made 1.5 sacks in Week 14 of the 2014 season against the Washington Redskins thanks to a deflected throw.

After all, in 16 games that season, he recorded a total of 109 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In Week 8 of the 2015 season, he recorded his first career safety against the San Francisco 49ers, who were led by Reggie Bush and Colin Kaepernick.

He also recorded 109 total tackles, including one sack, one interception, and one passing deflection. Over the course of eight seasons, Laurinaitis made 852 total tackles for the Rams, along with 34 pass deflections and ten interceptions.

In addition, he had started each game for them throughout the regular season. In light of this, he was let go from the group in February 2016.

Retirement and the New Orleans Saints

He soon agreed to a three-year, $8.25 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, which includes a $1.8 million signing bonus in March 2016.

Similar to that, he was named to the starting lineup for the season opener against the Oakland Raiders as the middle linebacker.

James actually had a string of 115 straight starts before being forced to miss time with an injury he sustained during the game against the Atlanta Falcons.

He had a quadriceps injury once more, and in November he was removed from the injured reserve. The following April, he announced his retirement.

Broadcasting

He received an offer to work as a college football analyst for the Big Ten Network shortly after leaving the NFL. On the local sports network SportsTime Ohio, he also began co-hosting a weekly Ohio State show.

On the NFL website, you may find news on James Laurinaitis, season numbers, highlights, and much more.

James Laurinaitis | Honors and Awards

James had a respectable NFL career, although he didn’t receive any notable honors or titles while playing in the league.

He did, however, excel throughout his undergraduate years, winning some titles at the regional and national levels. Significantly, he is the only player in history to have won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award twice.

He has also been named to the All-Big Ten first team three times and has been named a consensus All-American three times.

As a defensive player, he has also won the Lott Trophy, Butkus Award, and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

James Laurinaitis’s earnings and net worth

James has undoubtedly had a successful NFL career, spending eight years in the top division. As a result, he has only amassed a $35.4 million fortune as a player.

Before he retired, he actually had a $2.7 million yearly contract with the New Orleans Saints. As of 2022, James Laurinaitis’ estimated net worth is $3 million.

Not to mention, James has a beautiful 7000 square foot mansion in Missouri valued $2.3 million. Additionally, he has broadcasting jobs with organizations like SportsTime Ohio and Big Ten Network. Therefore, it can be assumed that he has enough money to live a comfortable life.

Is James Laurinaitis single? Wife and Kids

Indeed, James is a married man. In fact, he was in a relationship with Shelly Williams for a long time since their days at Ohio State University.

Eventually, the couple tied the knot of marriage in March 2013 after dating for several years. Their beautiful wedding was held on at The Ivory Room in Columbus, Ohio.

In like manner, the couple had their first child, a daughter named London, in September 2014. Also, they had another daughter, Hayden, in April 2017.

As of now, the couple lives happily raising their daughters. Furthermore, no affairs have been heard of him until now.

How old is James Laurinaitis?Age, Height & Body Measurements

Having been born on December 3, 1986, makes James 35 years old at the moment.

Now talking about his physique, James has a muscular build. He stands 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall and weighs 112 kg (248 lbs).

Likewise, to keep himself active and fit, Laurinaitis also does different workouts and eats balanced foods.

Social Media Presence:

To be sure, James is a retired man now and is enjoying his life with his family.

No doubt, we can see glimpses of him spending quality time with his loved ones in his social media accounts.

As of now, he is active on social media handles, including Instagram and Twitter.

Twitter: 50.8 thousand followers

Some FAQs:

Is James Laurinaitis a free agent?

No, James Laurinaitis is not a free agent.

When did James Laurinaitis’ dad Joe Laurinaitis die?

James Laurinaitis’ dad, Joe Laurinaitis, or you may be familiar with Road Warrior Animal, was a former WWE wrestler and a Hall of Famer.

In fact, he died on September 22, 2020, at the age of 60, at the Margaritaville Resort in Missouri. To clarify, he is said to die of natural causes.

Why did James Laurinaitis retire?

After eight years of career in the NFL, James Laurinaitis retired on April 11, 2017, ten days after his second daughter’s birth.

In fact, he was suffering a series of injuries that had ruined his performance in the 2016 season, where he had started only three games.

As a result, the New Orleans Saints had waved him off their injured reserve.

As a result, it can be speculated as to the reason for his retirement. Not to mention, he served as a football analyst after retirement.

What does James Laurinaitis do currently?

James Laurinaitis currently works as an analyst for the Big Ten Network.

When was James Laurinaitis drafted?

James Laurinaitis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

How much is Jame Laurinaitis St. Louis house worth?

According to sources, James Laurinaitis St. Louis house is worth $2.3-million.

Does James Laurinaitis have tattoos?

Yes, James Laurinaitis has a large tattoo on each arm.

What is James Laurinaitis NFL Combine score?

40 Yard Dash 4.72 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 17.33 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.72 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.59 seconds
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.18 seconds
Three Cone: 6.81 seconds

Is James Laurinaitis Greek?

It is believed that James Laurinaitis comes from greek background. His ancestors were greeks.

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