Darnell Washington

Darnell Ernest Washington (born August 17, 2001), nicknamed "Mount Washington", is an American professional football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time CFP national champion while playing college football at Georgia, winning in 2021 and 2022.

Early life Washington was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 17, 2001.

Washington experienced homelessness throughout his childhood.

He attended Desert Pines High School, where he played football and basketball. During his time on the football team Desert Pines won back to back state championships in the years 2016–2017. A five-star recruit in football, he committed to play college football at the University of Georgia.

College career As a true freshman at Georgia, Darnell recorded 166 yards on seven receptions.

In Washington's second season he put up 145 yards on nine receptions and scored one touchdown. This touchdown was the first of Washington's career and it came in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. Washington's longest gain of the season came on a 32 yard reception against Florida. He appeared in seven games and missed time due to having to have surgery for a minor fracture in his foot. In the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, Georgia defeated Alabama 33–18.

During Washington's third season, he recorded 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns. As a result, Washington was named to the Second-team All-SEC. On January 12, 2023, Washington declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

2023 Washington was drafted 93rd overall in the 2023 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and on May 12, 2023, he signed his rookie contract. As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and made seven starts. He had seven receptions for 61 receiving yards. During his tenure as a rookie, he was given the nickname "Mount Washington" due to his large frame and as a reference to the Pittsburgh landmark/neighborhood Mount Washington.

2024

In his second season, Washington would score his first career touchdown on a five-yard pass from Justin Fields to put the first points on the board in a 13–6 Steelers victory over the Denver Broncos. After the touchdown reception, Washington celebrated by giving a salute. He would explain in a post-game interview the salute was for his brother, a member of the United States Marines. During his sophomore season, Washington's size began to be utilized in the passing game. He recorded at least two catches for 25 plus yards in the first five games in which Russell Wilson started at the quarterback position. His 11 receptions through those five games eclipsed his entire 17 game total of seven from 2023.

He finished the 2024 regular season making 19 catches on 25 targets for 200 yards and a touchdown. He made a second postseason appearance in the team's 28–14 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens where he made one catch for nine yards.

2025 In a 33–31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Washington secured 3 out of 5 targets and scored his second career touchdown. In the Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns, he left prematurely in the first quarter after breaking his arm. On December 30, 2025, the Steelers announced that Washington had undergone surgery to fix his arm and that he would be out for the remainder of the season as a result; he was placed on injured reserve the following day.

2026 On June 3, 2026, Washington agreed to a four-year, $42 million contract extension with the Steelers, including $21 million guaranteed.

Career statistics NFL Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving 2023 PIT 17 7 7 61 8.7 12 0 2024 PIT 17 9 19 200 10.5 29 1 2025 PIT 16 13 31 364 11.7 36 1 Career 50 29 57 625 11.0 36 2

Postseason Year Team Games Receiving 2023 PIT 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2024 PIT 1 0 1 9 9.0 9 0 Career 2 1 1 9 9.0 9 0

College Year Team GP Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD 2020 Georgia 10 7 166 23.7 0 2021 Georgia 11 10 154 15.4 1 2022 Georgia 15 28 454 16.2 2Career 36 45 774 17.2 3