Darren Waller

Darren Waller

Waller in 2022
No. 12, 84, 83
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(1992-09-13) September 13, 1992 (age 32) Landover, Maryland, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:	North Cobb (Kennesaw, Georgia)
College:	Georgia Tech (2011–2014)
NFL draft:	2015  / round: 6 / pick: 204
Career history
Baltimore Ravens (2015–2018) Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders (2018–2022) New York Giants (2023)
Career highlights and awards Pro Bowl (2020) Career NFL statistics Receptions: 350 Receiving yards: 4,124 Receiving touchdowns: 20 Stats at Pro Football Reference Darren Charles Waller (born September 13, 1992) [1] is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft. [1] [2] [3] He is a great-grandson of composer and jazz pianist Fats Waller. [1] Early life Darren Waller was born in Landover, Maryland, to Dorian and Charlena Waller. [1] He has a sister, Deanna. He was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Marietta, Georgia, and Acworth, Georgia. [1] [4] He produces hip-hop music in his spare time. [5] College career Waller attended and played college football at Georgia Tech as a wide receiver where he redshirted his freshman season of 2011 and decided to forgo his final year of eligibility by entering the 2015 NFL draft. [6] College statistics Season Team Conf Class Pos GP Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD 2012 Georgia Tech ACC SO WR 14 8 162 20.3 0 2013 Georgia Tech ACC JR WR 9 17 367 21.6 3 2014 Georgia Tech ACC SR WR 10 26 442 17.0 6 Career 33 51 971 19.0 9 Professional career Pre-draft measurables Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press 6 ft 6+1⁄8 in (1.98 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) 9 in (0.23 m) 4.46 s 1.57 s 2.62 s 4.25 s 7.07 s 37.0 in (0.94 m) 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) 12 reps All values from NFL Combine [7] [8] Baltimore Ravens Waller with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 2015 See also: 2015 Baltimore Ravens season The Baltimore Ravens selected Waller in the sixth round with the 204th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. [9] The selection was acquired in a trade in exchange for Rolando McClain. Waller became the 27th wide receiver drafted in 2015. [10] On May 7, 2015, the Ravens signed Waller to a four-year, $2.39 million contract that included a signing bonus of $104,732. [11] Throughout training camp, Waller competed for a roster spot as a backup wide receiver against Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro, and Kamar Aiken. [12] Head coach John Harbaugh named Waller the sixth wide receiver on the depth chart to begin his rookie season, behind Steve Smith Sr., Aiken, Campanaro, Brown, and Breshad Perriman. [13] On October 29, 2015, Waller was placed on the injured reserve list, ending his season. [14] 2016 See also: 2016 Baltimore Ravens season In March, it was announced by head coach John Harbaugh during a news conference that Waller would be converting to the tight end position. [15] On July 1, 2016, Waller was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. [16] 2017 See also: 2017 Baltimore Ravens season On June 30, 2017, Waller was suspended for one year without pay for again violating the substance-abuse policy. [17] 2018 See also: 2018 Baltimore Ravens season On August 7, 2018, Waller was reinstated by the league after completing a rehabilitation program at Borden Cottage and serving his year-long suspension. [18] [19] He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. [20] [21] Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders 2018 See also: 2018 Oakland Raiders season On November 26, 2018, Waller was signed by the Oakland Raiders off the Ravens' practice squad. [22] During the 2018 season, he appeared in four games and had six receptions for 75 yards. [23] 2019 Waller with the Oakland Raiders in 2019 See also: 2019 Oakland Raiders season On Hard Knocks with the Raiders, he was featured in an episode detailing his struggle with substance abuse and his steps taken to overcome it. [24] In Week 1 of the 2019 season against the Denver Broncos, Waller caught seven passes for 70 yards in the 24–16 win. [25] During Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, Waller finished with 134 receiving yards on 13 receptions, marking his first career game with over 100 yards, but the Raiders lost 34–14. [26] On October 16, 2019, Waller signed a three-year contract extension with the Raiders through the 2023 season. [27] In Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, Waller caught seven passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–24 loss. [28] In Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Waller caught seven passes for 100 yards in the 40–9 loss. [29] In Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, he caught seven passes for 63 yards in a 42–21 loss. [30] During Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Waller finished with eight catches for 122 receiving yards as the Raiders lost 20–16. [31] In Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, Waller caught six passes for 107 yards, including a 75-yard catch, during the 16–15 loss. [32] Waller was named as an alternate to the 2020 Pro Bowl, and after the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the Super Bowl, he was originally supposed to be named in as a replacement for Travis Kelce, but he had recently had thumb surgery and was unable to play. Jack Doyle was instead named as Kelce's alternate. [33] Waller finished the 2019 season with 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. [34] He was ranked 99th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. [35] 2020 See also: 2020 Las Vegas Raiders season In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the New Orleans Saints, he had 12 receptions for 103 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 34–24 victory. [36] He was fined $30,000 by the NFL on October 5, 2020, for hosting a maskless charity event during the COVID-19 pandemic in violation of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols for the 2020 season. [37] In Week 13 against the New York Jets, Waller had 13 receptions for 200 receiving yards, establishing a new Raiders franchise record for a tight end, while also scoring two touchdowns in a 31–28 win. [38] [39] In Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Waller had nine receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown during the 30–27 overtime loss. [40] In Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins, Waller recorded 5 catches for 112 yards during the 26–25 loss. [41] In Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, Waller recorded nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown as well as catching the game winning two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter to secure a 32–31 win for the Raiders. [42] For the 2020 season, Waller established career highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,196) and touchdowns (9). [43] His 107 receptions ranked fourth in the NFL and first among tight ends, while his yardage ranked tenth overall and second among tight ends (behind Travis Kelce's 1,416 yards). [44] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. [45] He was ranked 35th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021. [46] 2021 See also: 2021 Las Vegas Raiders season In the 2021 regular season opener, Waller had ten receptions for 105 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 33–27 overtime victory over the Ravens. [47] In Week 11, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had seven receptions for 116 yards. [48] He finished the 2021 season with 55 receptions for 665 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 11 games. [49] He was ranked 58th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022. [50] 2022 See also: 2022 Las Vegas Raiders season On September 10, 2022, Waller signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Raiders, becoming the highest-paid tight end in the league. [51] He was placed on injured reserve on November 10, 2022. [52] He was activated on December 17. [53] New York Giants On March 15, 2023, Waller was traded to the New York Giants for a compensatory 2023 third-round pick (which the Raiders used to select Tre Tucker) that was previously traded from the Kansas City Chiefs in the Kadarius Toney trade. [54] He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8 and was placed on injured reserve on November 4, 2023. [55] He was reactivated on December 17. [56] Retirement On June 9, 2024, Waller announced his retirement from football after eight seasons. [57] Personal life Waller began abusing oxycodone at 15 years old and drinking alcohol at 16 years old. His oxycodone addiction escalated to the point that he was eventually spending $100 per day on pills. Later in life, he began using "a lot of" cocaine. [58] On August 11, 2017, in Maryland, he overdosed on pills while sitting in his parked Jeep. [58] [59] After spending 34 days in a substance abuse rehabilitation program in Camden, Maine, he took a job stocking shelves at a Sprouts Farmers Market. [58] Waller founded the Darren Waller Foundation in 2020 to "equip youth to avoid and overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol and support youth and their families during their recovery and treatment journey." [60] On March 4, 2023, Waller married Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum. [61] Waller and Plum filed for divorce on April 23, 2024 after one year of marriage. [62] [63] In 2024, Waller released "Who Knew", a song about his former wife. [64] The song received mixed reviews with some individuals saying the track is of poor quality. [65] NFL career statistics Legend Led the league (for tight ends) Bold Career highs Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2015 BAL 6 1 2 18 9.0 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2016 BAL 12 3 10 85 8.5 15 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2017 BAL 0 0 Suspended 2018 OAK 4 0 6 75 12.5 44 0 1 21 21.0 21 0 0 0 2019 OAK 16 16 90 1,145 12.7 75 3 2 5 2.5 7 0 1 1 2020 LV 16 15 107 1,196 11.2 38 9 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2 2021 LV 11 11 55 665 12.1 33 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2022 LV 9 6 28 388 13.9 31 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2023 NYG 12 11 52 552 10.6 29 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 86 63 350 4,124 11.8 75 20 3 26 8.7 21 0 3 3 Raiders franchise records Most receptions in a season: 107 (2020) References "Darren Waller". RamblinWreck.com. CBS. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2015. Huguenin, Mike (January 14, 2015). "Georgia Tech WR Darren Waller's size a selling point to scouts". NFL.com. National Football League . Retrieved May 2, 2015. 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"Raiders' Darren Waller agrees to a three-year, $51 million extension, making him the highest-paid tight end". CBS Sports.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022. Gutierrez, Paul (November 10, 2022). "Las Vegas Raiders place Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow on IR". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022. "Raiders activate WR Hunter Renfrow and TE Darren Waller". Raiders.com. December 17, 2022. "Giants acquire TE Darren Waller via trade with Raiders". Giants.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023. Eisen, Michael (November 4, 2023). "Giants place Darren Waller, Tyrod Taylor on injured reserve". Giants.com. Salomone, Dan (December 17, 2023). "Darren Waller activated from injured reserve". Giants.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024. "Ex-Giants, Raiders TE Darren Waller announces retirement after eight NFL seasons". NFL.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024. Serby, Steve (September 27, 2020). "Darren Waller overcame drug addiction to become Raiders' breakout star". New York Post . Retrieved January 14, 2022. Brewer, Ray (September 9, 2020). "Raiders' Waller uses struggles with drug addiction to help Las Vegas youths stay clean". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved January 14, 2022. Kudo, Hikaru (January 11, 2022). "Raiders Asking to Support Waller's Walter Payton Nomination". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 14, 2022. Evans, Jace (March 4, 2023). "Las Vegas Aces' Kelsey Plum, Raiders' Darren Waller announce marriage". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023. Dye, Natasha (April 24, 2024). "Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller File for Divorce After 1 Year of Marriage, WNBA Star Says She's 'Devastated'". People. Retrieved June 4, 2024. Hendricks, Jaclyn (April 23, 2024). "Kelsey Plum, Giants' Darren Waller divorcing after one year". New York Post. Retrieved June 4, 2024. "Darren Waller - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved May 31, 2024. "Darren Waller's music video stirs controversy amid divorce drama with Kelsey Plum". The Express Tribune. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024. External links Career statistics from ESPN  ·  Yahoo Sports  ·  Pro Football Reference Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.