Derrick Mason

Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Tennessee Oilers (which was renamed the Titans in 1999). After eight seasons with Tennessee, Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens, becoming the franchise's all-time leading receiver with 5,777 yards from 2005 to 2010. He spent 2011 with the New York Jets and Houston Texans before retiring as a Raven on June 11, 2012.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2003) and First Team All-Pro selection (2000), Mason is the only player in NFL history with at least 10,000 receiving yards and 5,000 return yards. He set the record for all-purpose yards in a single season, which was later broken by Darren Sproles.

Tennessee Titans Mason started his career with the Oilers/Titans after being selected in the fourth round (98th overall) in the 1997 NFL draft. In his rookie season, he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders on August 31. The following season, he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns, the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears on October 25. He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards. In the 1999 season, Mason gained 1,030 yards returning punts and kickoffs, and added 8 kickoff returns for 322 yards and a touchdown in the team's three playoff games, assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee's 23–16 loss. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33–14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game. In the 2000 season, he led the NFL in punt return yards (662) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1,132 yards (an NFL leading 27 yards per return average), giving him 2,690 combined receiving and special teams yards, breaking the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season previously held by Lionel James (2,535). Darren Sproles broke Mason's record in 2011 with 2,696 yards. He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns, a career-high. Just as he had done the previous season, he went past the 2,000 all purpose yards mark, the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons. The following season, he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions, reception yards and touchdowns. In 2003, he started all 16 games and finished the season with 1,303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL. The following season, in 2004, he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent on March 7, 2005. In his first year with the team, he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions, a Ravens franchise season record. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns. Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair 30,000 passing yards for his career in the 19–7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills. The following year, Mason had 103 receptions for 1,087 yards and five touchdowns. Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions in a season. He also had a 79-yard score.

In 2008, Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl. In 2008, he had 80 receptions for 1,037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Mason dislocated his shoulder when he fell after a catch in a game against the Houston Texans, eventually coming back to finish the contest. Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the New York Giants. Mason re-aggravated of his injury against the Dallas Cowboys, but finished the game with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with a postseason career-high 12 receptions for 190 yards, including a postseason career long 48-yard touchdown reception. Mason was reportedly upset that Flacco was late in getting a pass to him. The two apparently settled their differences. Mason had 61 catches for 802 yards and seven scores that season.

When the NFL announced the new collective bargaining agreement on July 25, 2011, the Ravens announced their intention to release Mason upon the start of free agency to free salary cap space. He was formally released by the team on July 28.

New York Jets Mason signed with the New York Jets on August 6, 2011. His statistical production was limited. Also, there were some problems in the team locker room. Some said that Mason was a cancer to the team, and that he complained about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's playcalling. Said Mason, "I never complained to Rex Ryan or Mike Tannenbaum, and I hope that one day it come out who actually did it, but I doubt it." Mason said in a report published by Scout.com. "I never went to Rex or Mike to complain about Brian's play-calling."

Houston Texans The Jets traded Mason to the Houston Texans on October 11, 2011, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Mason caught only six passes for 55 yards with the team. He was later released on December 12.

Retirement Mason announced his retirement from professional football by signing a one-day contract with Baltimore Ravens on June 11, 2012.

NFL career statistics Legend NFL record Led the league Bold Career high

+ Regular season statistics Year Team Games Receiving Punt returns Kickoff returns Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 1997 TEN 16 2 14 186 13.3 38 0 13 95 7.3 29 0 26 551 21.2 54 0 5 2 1998 TEN 16 0 25 333 13.3 47 3 31 228 7.4 25 0 8 154 19.3 26 0 1 0 1999 TEN 13 0 8 89 11.1 31 0 26 225 8.7 65 1 41 805 19.6 41 0 0 0 2000 TEN 16 10 63 895 14.2 34 5 51 662 13.0 69 1 42 1,132 27.0 66 0 1 0 2001 TEN 15 15 73 1,128 15.5 71 9 20 128 6.4 20 0 34 748 22.0 101 1 2 1 2002 TEN 14 14 79 1,012 12.8 40 5 9 60 6.7 21 0 — — — — — 2 1 2003 TEN 16 16 95 1,303 13.7 50 8 8 99 12.4 21 0 5 106 21.2 34 0 0 0 2004 TEN 16 16 96 1,168 12.2 37 7 24 93 3.9 13 0 — — — — — 2 0 2005 BAL 16 16 86 1,073 12.5 39 3 — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2006 BAL 16 15 68 750 11.0 38 2 — — — — — — — — — — 1 0 2007 BAL 16 16 103 1,087 10.6 79 5 — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 2008 BAL 16 16 80 1,037 13.0 54 5 — — — — — — — — — — 2 1 2009 BAL 16 16 73 1,028 14.1 72 7 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 2010 BAL 16 15 61 802 13.1 42 7 — — — — — — — — — — 0 02011 NYJ 5 2 13 115 8.8 30 0 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 HOU 7 0 6 55 9.2 16 0 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 Career 230 169 943 12,061 12.8 79 66 182 1,590 8.7 69 2 156 3,496 22.4 101 1 18 7

+ Playoff statistics Year Team Games Receiving Punt returns Kickoff returns Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 1999 TEN 4 0 2 18 9.0 9 0 11 78 7.1 19 0 13 437 33.6 80 1 2 0 2000 TEN 1 1 7 88 12.6 19 0 2 5 2.5 8 0 4 55 13.8 17 0 0 0 2002 TEN 2 2 10 88 8.8 18 0 2 20 10.0 11 0 — — — — — 0 0 2003 TEN 2 2 10 118 11.8 29 1 6 70 11.7 17 0 — — — — — 0 0 2006 BAL 1 1 2 16 8.0 9 0 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 2008 BAL 3 3 12 190 15.8 48 1 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 2009 BAL 2 2 5 72 14.4 27 0 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 2010 BAL 2 2 1 11 11.0 11 0 — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 Career 17 13 49 601 12.3 48 2 21 173 8.2 19 0 17 492 28.9 80 1 2 0

Career awards and highlights AFC Champion (1999) 2× Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2003) All-Pro selection (2000) NFL punt return yards leader (2000) NFL All purpose yards leader (2000) 3× AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 12, 1999, Week 4, 2000, Week 10, 2001) 10,000 Receiving Yards Club 15,000 All-Purpose Yards Club

NFL records All-purpose yards in a single season (2000): 2,690 (broken in 2011 by Darren Sproles) Combined kickoff & punt return yards in a single postseason (1999): 515 Only player with 10,000 receiving yards and 5,000 return yards Most career punt returns (182) Most Kick Returns (playoff career): 17 (broken by Mark Andrews in 2025) Most career receptions (471)

Personal life Mason and his wife, Marci, were married on June 7, 1997, and have a daughter, Bailee My-Lin and a son, Derrick James II. Marci is "The Derrick Mason Foundation" organization's vice president.

In 2012, Mason was hired as the wide receivers coach at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee alongside former teammate, linebackers coach, Lemanski Hall.

Mason is currently an afternoon radio host for 102.5 The Game, a sports station based in Nashville.

Mason has ownership stake in Nashville Company SWIFTWICK.