Darren Charles Waller is an American football player with a tight end position for the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL. He wears jersey number 83 with them. Darren is also famously known as the great-grandson of composer and jazz pianist Fats Waller.
Darren played college football at Georgia Tech. In 2019, he surpassed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career playing as the Raiders’ starting tight end.
Darren Waller Exited Due To Hamstring Injury
The Las Vegas Raiders were without Darren Waller for most of Monday night, recording a 30-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Darren was ruled out with a hamstring injury on Monday night after playing six games against Kansas City. In the first half, He left the field.
With player backup Foster Moreau inactive due to a knee injury, the Raiders team was left with only fourth-year reserve Jesper Horsted at the stressed end for the remainder of Monday’s game against Kansas City.
Head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters in his postgame conference that he does not believe Darren’s injury is “super significant.”
Darren’s evening ended with no catches, no targets, and five routes run on those six snaps. His final snap was on a fourth-and-1 play in the first quarter, resulting in a Derek Carr-to-Davante Adams 58-yard touchdown pass.
Darren Waller had appeared on the Raiders’ official injury report in the lead-up to Week 4, but he returned with full participation ahead of the Chiefs matchup. This is the second time Darren hurt his hamstring this year, resulting in missing most of the training camp with a similar issue. In 2021 he was limited to 11 games due to various injuries.
Darren Waller Early Life:
| Full Real Name | Darren Charles Waller |
| Family Name | Waller |
| Profession | Footballer |
| Date Of Birth | September 13th, 1992 |
| Age | 30 years old |
| Birthday | September 13th |
| Year Of Birth | 1992 |
| Nick Name | Darren |
| Current Residence | Las Vegas |
| Country | USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Religion | N/A |
Darren was born on 13th September 1992 in Landover, Maryland. He was raised in Colorado Springs, Marietta, and Acworth, Georgia.
Darren Waller Family Background:
| Father | Dorian Waller |
| Mother | Charlena Waller |
| Brothers | None |
| Sisters | Deanna |
| Relatives Name | Fats Waller |
Darren was born to Charlena and Dorian Waller. Further, he has a sister named Deanna.
Darren’s great-grandfather Fats Waller was a jazz musician and produced hip-hop music. His 39 short years of life left an incredible mark on the world of music, recording hundreds of songs that earned him a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Darren Waller Education:
| Highest Qualification | High school degree |
| University | Georgia Tech |
| High School | North Cobb High School |
Darren attended North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. Later, he enrolled at Georgia Tech and graduated in 2014. His position at Georgia Tech college football team was wide receiver; in his freshman season of 2011, he redshirted. Later, he decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and entered the 2015 NFL Draft.
Darren initially struggled to adjust to the college game, and till 2013 he wasn’t a significant part of the offense. He came up big in two massive games, especially the Orange Bowl. The receptions were limited in these games, but his catches made significant gains.
After college, Darren participated in the NFL Scouting Combine. He was ranked in the top performance in the Vertical Jump and 60-yard shuttle. Darren is faster than quick and has a crave-size-speed combination. In the 2015 NFL Draft, Darre was selected by the Baltimore Ravens. Later, in 2018, Darren was waived and signed to the practice squad. On 26th November 2018, the Oakland Raiders signed him and took him off Raven’s practice squad. In the 2018 season, Darren had six receptions for 75 yards.
Darren Waller Physical stats:
| Weight In Kg | 116kg |
| Height In Feet | 6 ft 6 in |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark brown |
Darren stands 6 ft 6 in tall and weighs around 116kg. His muscular, athletic, tall, and tattooed physics enhances his attractive personality. Darren’s first tattoo was a scripture on a scroll on my left chest. Further, he has short black hair with beautiful dark brown eyes.
Darren Waller Birth Signs:
| Sun Sign | Virgo |
| Star Sign | Virgo |
| Birth Sign Duality | Passive |
| Birth Sign Modality | Mutable |
Darren was born on Sunday and is currently 30. His sun and birth sign are Virgo. Further, his birth flower is Aster and Morning Glory. Darren’s birth sign duality is Passive, and his opposite sign is Pisces. His birth sign modality and element is Mutable Earth.
Darren Waller Net worth:
| Net Worth | $3 million |
As of 2022, Darren’s estimated net worth is around $3M benefitting from his contract with the Raiders, and other sources of income come from sponsorships, endorsements, etc.
In 2018, he signed a four-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders worth around $30M, and this deal was extended in 2019 to a four-year. The guaranteed salary of $10.6M was included in the contract.
On 10th September 2022, Darren signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Raiders and is the highest-paid tight end in the league.
He is a popular personality and has done many brand endorsement deals, including Snickers, Pepsi, Wilson, Inscriptagraphs, and Body Armour.
Darren Waller Relationship Status:
| Marital Status | single |
Darren is currently single and is not involved in any romantic relationship; he prefers to spend his time and focus on his career. Previously there were rumors about a relationship with famous basketball player Kelsey Plum, she is a professional basketball player with the (WNBA) Las Vegas Aces. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she took home a gold medal.
Darren and Kelsey were spotted together a few times, although this is still a rumor as they both never committed anything officially.
Darren Waller Career:
In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Darren in the 6th round with the 204th overall pick, and this selection occurred in a trade in exchange for Rolando McClain. In 2015 he became the 27th wide receiver drafted, and on 7th May 2015, the Baltimore Ravens signed Darren to a four-year, $2.39M contract and a signing bonus of $104,732.
Darren competed for a roster spot as a backup wide receiver against Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, and Michael Campanaro throughout training camp. Head coach John Harbaugh on the depth chart, named Darren the 6th wide receiver to begin his rookie season. On 29th October 2015, he was placed on the injured reserve list ending his season.
On 1st July 2016, Darren was suspended for the 2016 NFL season’s first four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
On 30th June 2017, Darren was suspended for another year for violating the substance-abuse policy and without pay.
On 7th August 2018, Darren was restored by the league after serving his year-long suspension and as he completed his rehabilitation program at Borden Cottage. Further, on 1st September 2018, he was waived and was signed to the practice squad the next day.
On 26th November 2018, Darren signed the Oakland Raiders off the Ravens’ practice squad, and later during the 2018 season, he earned six receptions for 75 yards.
Further, In Week 1 of the 2019 season against the Denver Broncos, Darren caught 7 passes for 70 yards in the 24–16 win. During Week 3 in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings, he finished earning 134 receiving yards on 13 receptions, thus marking his first career game with over 100 yards, although the Raiders lost 34–14. Further, on 16th October 2019, Darren signed a three-year contract with the Raiders through the 2023 season, an extension to the earlier one. In Week 7, in opposition to the Green Bay Packers, Darren caught 7 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns, with a score of the 42–24 loss. In Week 13, in opposition to the Kansas City Chiefs, he again caught 7 passes for 100 yards in the 40–9 loss. Later, in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, Darren caught 7 passes for 63 yards in a 42–21 loss. During Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he finished with 8 catches for 122 receiving yards recording a loss 20–16. In Week 17, in opposition to the Denver Broncos, he caught 6 passes for 107 yards, including a 75-yard catch, during the 16–15 loss. Darren finished the 2019 season with 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Week 2 of the 2020 season in opposition to the New Orleans Saints (Monday Night Football). Darren had 12 receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown in the 34–24 victory. In Week 13, in opposition to the New York Jets, he earned 13 receptions for 200 receiving yards (marking a new Raiders franchise record for a tight end) while scoring two touchdowns in a 31–28 win. Later, in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers (Thursday Night Football), Darren had nine receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown during the 30–27 overtime loss. In Week 16, in opposition to the Miami Dolphins, he recorded 5 catches for 112 yards during the 26–25 loss; and in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, he had 9 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, in addition to catching the game-winning 2 points, which led the Raiders in the fourth quarter to achieve a 32–31 win. For the 2020 season, he established career highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,196), and touchdowns (9). Darren’s 107 receptions ranked 4th in the NFL and 1st among tight ends; his yardage ranked 10th overall and 2nd among tight ends.
Darren was fined by the NFL $30,000 on 5th October 2020 for hosting a charity event during the COVID-19 pandemic without a mask; it was considered a violation of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols for the 2020 season.
Darren Waller Addiction story:
At the age of 15 years, Darren began abusing oxycodone and, at 16, started drinking alcohol. His oxycodone addiction shoot up to the point that he eventually spent $100 per day on pills. Later he began using a lot of cocaine. On 11th August 2017 in Maryland, Darren overdosed on pills while sitting in his parked Jeep. Further, after spending a substance abuse rehabilitation program in Camden, Maine, for 34 days, Darren became jobless and took a job stocking shelves at a Sprouts Farmers Market.
Though he had a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech, Darren took on the humbling job, hoping to get another chance in football. It was a long fall from where he had been and today where he is.
In August 2018, Darren rejoined the Ravens to play on the team’s practice squad.
Darren was featured in an episode of Hard Knocks with the Raiders, detailing his struggle with substance abuse and his steps to overcome it. Music helped him overcome his addiction after rehab and thrive in the NFL with the Raiders.
He also founded the Darren Waller Foundation in 2020 for youth to avoid and overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol. The foundation also supports youth and their families during treatment and recovery.
Darren Waller Social Appearance:
Darren has profiles on Instagram and Twitter with around 310k and 60k followers, respectively. His posts are mainly of his matches and endorsements pictures.
