American football player (born 1992)
American football player
Darren Charles Waller
(born September 13, 1992)
[1]
is an American
football
tight end
for the
New York Giants
of the
National Football League
(NFL). He played
college football
at
Georgia Tech
and was selected by the
Baltimore Ravens
in the sixth round of the
2015 NFL draft
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
He is the great-grandson of composer and jazz pianist
Fats Waller
.
[1]
Early years
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Baltimore Ravens
[
edit
]
2015
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
On June 30, 2017, Waller was suspended for one year without pay for again violating the substance-abuse policy.
[17]
2018
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
2018
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the
New Orleans Saints
on
Monday Night Football
, 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
on
Thursday Night Football
, 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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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]
Personal life
[
edit
]
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
.
[57]
On August 11, 2017, in Maryland, he overdosed on pills while sitting in his parked
Jeep
.
[57]
[58]
After spending 34 days in a substance abuse rehabilitation program in
Camden, Maine
, he took a job stocking shelves at a
Sprouts Farmers Market
.
[57]
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."
[59]
On March 4, 2023, Waller married
Las Vegas Aces
point guard
Kelsey Plum
.
[60]
Waller and Plum filed for divorce on April 23, 2024, after one year of marriage.
[61]
[62]
NFL career statistics
[
edit
]
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
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"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
.
- ^
Sugiura, Ken (April 30, 2015).
"Waller among intriguing UGA and Tech draft prospects"
.
myajc.com
. Retrieved
May 2,
2015
.
- ^
Zrebiec, Jeff (November 9, 2018).
"For so long, Ravens TE Darren Waller's smile obscured a secret: He didn't like himself and drugs were how he coped"
.
The Athletic
. Retrieved
September 15,
2022
.
- ^
"Darren Waller Soundcloud"
.
www.soundcloud.com
. Retrieved
September 21,
2020
.
- ^
"Darren Waller College Stats"
.
College Football at Sports-Reference.com
. Retrieved
March 16,
2019
.
- ^
"Darren Waller Combine Profile"
.
NFL.com
. Retrieved
July 23,
2020
.
- ^
"2015 Draft Scout Darren Waller, Georgia Tech NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile"
.
draftscout.com
. Retrieved
June 11,
2022
.
- ^
"2015 NFL Draft Listing"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
December 18,
2020
.
- ^
"Baltimore Ravens select Darren Waller"
.
Baltimoreravens.com
. May 2, 2015. Archived from
the original
on October 24, 2017
. Retrieved
August 7,
2015
.
- ^
"Spotrac.com: Darren Waller contract"
.
Spotrac.com
. Retrieved
September 6,
2020
.
- ^
"2015 Ravens Depth Chart: Wide Receiver"
.
baltimorebeatdown.com
. May 16, 2015
. Retrieved
November 24,
2020
.
- ^
"Ourlads.com: Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart: 10/01/2015"
.
Ourlads.com
. Retrieved
November 24,
2020
.
- ^
Stevens, Matthew (October 28, 2015).
"Wide Receiver Darren Waller hits injured reserve"
.
Baltimore Beatdown
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
Hensley, Jamison (March 10, 2016).
"Ravens' Darren Waller switching from WR to TE"
.
ESPN.com
. ESPN
. Retrieved
October 7,
2023
.
- ^
Florio, Mike (July 1, 2016).
"Ravens tight end Darren Waller suspended four games"
.
NBCSports.com
. National Broadcasting Company
. Retrieved
October 23,
2017
.
- ^
Bergman, Jeremy (June 30, 2017).
"Ravens TE Darren Waller suspended for at least a year"
.
NFL.com
. National Football League
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
Guiterrez, Paul (October 10, 2019).
"Sobriety life in the nfl"
.
ESPN.com
. ESPN
. Retrieved
November 22,
2022
.
- ^
Downing, Garrett (August 7, 2018).
"Tight End Darren Waller Reinstated From Year-Long Suspension"
.
BaltimoreRavens.com
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
Mink, Ryan (September 1, 2018).
"Ravens Make Final Cuts to 53 Players"
.
BaltimoreRavens.com
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
Mink, Ryan (September 2, 2018).
"Ravens Assemble Their 2018 Practice Squad"
.
BaltimoreRavens.com
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
Gantt, Darin (November 26, 2018).
"Raiders signing tight end off Ravens practice squad"
.
Pro Football Talk
. NBC Sports
. Retrieved
November 22,
2022
.
- ^
"Darren Waller 2018 Game Log"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
March 16,
2019
.
- ^
Kawahara, Matt (August 21, 2019).
"Raiders on 'Hard Knocks': Darren Waller opens up, but Antonio Brown dominates"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
"Raiders beat Broncos 24?16 in 1st game after Brown's release"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. September 9, 2019
. Retrieved
September 9,
2019
.
- ^
"Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings ? September 22nd, 2019"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
Gordon, Grant (October 16, 2019).
"Raiders lock up TE Darren Waller thru 2023 season"
.
NFL.com
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
"Rodgers throws 5 TD passes, Packers gash Raiders 42?24"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. October 20, 2019
. Retrieved
October 20,
2019
.
- ^
"Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs ? December 1st, 2019"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
"Chiefs rout Raiders 40?9 to seize AFC West control"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. December 1, 2019
. Retrieved
December 1,
2019
.
- ^
"Minshew, Jaguars stun Raiders late in Oakland farewell"
.
Reuters
. December 16, 2019
. Retrieved
February 20,
2020
.
- ^
"Broncos beat Raiders 16?15 to keep rival from playoffs. He finished the season with a break out year of 1,142 from ninety receptions and three touchdowns"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. January 3, 2020
. Retrieved
December 29,
2019
.
- ^
Damien, Levi (January 21, 2020).
"Darren Waller injury has him passed up for Pro Bowl invite in favor of Colts TE Jack Doyle"
.
Raiders Wire
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
"Darren Waller 2019 Game Log"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 17,
2020
.
- ^
"2020 NFL Top 100"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders ? September 21st, 2020"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
September 23,
2020
.
- ^
Dubow, Josh (October 5, 2020).
"AP source: 10 Raiders players fined for COVID-19 violations"
.
APNews.com
. Retrieved
November 10,
2020
.
- ^
"Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets ? December 6th, 2020"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
December 18,
2020
.
- ^
Goodman, Max (December 9, 2020).
"What Made Darren Waller's Record-Setting Performance Possible Against Jets?"
.
SI.com
. Retrieved
November 10,
2020
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders ? December 17th, 2020"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
December 18,
2020
.
- ^
"Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders ? December 26th, 2020"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
December 26,
2020
.
- ^
"Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos ? January 3rd, 2021"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
January 7,
2021
.
- ^
"Darren Waller 2020 Game Log"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"2020 Player Stats ? Receiving"
.
NFL.com
. Retrieved
January 5,
2021
.
- ^
"2020 NFL Pro Bowlers"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"2021 NFL Top 100"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders ? September 13th, 2021"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"Cincinnati Bengals at Las Vegas Raiders ? November 21st, 2021"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"Darren Waller 2021 Game Log"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
"2022 NFL Top 100"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
Dajani, Jordan (September 10, 2022).
"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
.
- ^
a
b
c
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
.
- ^
"Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller File for Divorce After 1 Year of Marriage, WNBA Star Says She's 'Devastated'
"
.
- ^
"Kelsey Plum, Giants' Darren Waller divorcing after one year"
. April 23, 2024.
External links
[
edit
]
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Active
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Reserve lists
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Unsigned draft picks
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