Nate Washington

Nate Washington (born August 28, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tiffin Dragons and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Washington played on two Super Bowl-winning teams during four seasons with the Steelers. He then played six seasons for the Tennessee Titans before playing his eleventh and final season for the Houston Texans.

Early life Washington was raised in Toledo by his single mother, Lisha Washington. Nate attended Scott High School in Toledo, Ohio, where he was named first-team all-area and honorable mention all-state as a senior.

College career Washington played college football at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio, where he majored in Information Systems. He holds eight individual Dragons' receiving records, including records for receptions in a game (13), yards in a game (299), receptions in a season (70), yards in a season (1,428), touchdowns in a season (16), career receptions (212), career yards (4,214), and career touchdown receptions (47).

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005, Washington became the first Tiffin University player in the modern era to play in the NFL. His first career reception came in the 2005 AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

He was the Steelers' slot receiver throughout the 2006 season, and started two games after injuries to Hines Ward.

A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Washington resigned a one-year, $1.417 million tender offer on April 16, 2008. In Super Bowl XLIII, Washington had one catch for 11 yards on his way to winning his second career Super Bowl ring.

Tennessee Titans Washington signed a six-year, $27 million deal with the Tennessee Titans on March 2, 2009.

In the 2011 season, Titans top receiver Kenny Britt tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the third game against the Denver Broncos, leaving Washington as the number one receiver. Washington finished the year with career highs in receptions (74), yards (1,023), and touchdowns (7) as the Titans finished 9–7, missing the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In the 2012 season, the offense as a whole struggled to find any rhythm with quarterback Jake Locker suffering a shoulder injury that affected his play all year and running back Chris Johnson getting off to a slow start. Washington finished the year with a team-leading 746 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, including a 71-yard touchdown catch from Locker in week 3 against the Detroit Lions.

For the 2013 season, Washington was elected a team captain. In a week 3 game against the San Diego Chargers, he emerged as Locker's favorite target. With the Titans trailing, Washington reportedly led the team in a rally using references from the film 300. With roughly two minutes left on the clock, Washington helped drive the ball 94 yards which resulted in a touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the game. The Titans won their home opener 20–17 with Washington contributing eight catches for 131 yards. For the season, Washington totaled 58 receptions for 919 yards and three touchdowns.

Houston Texans Washington signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Houston Texans on April 1, 2015.

New England Patriots Washington signed with the New England Patriots on March 24, 2016. On August 24, 2016, the Patriots released Washington.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2005 PIT 1 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2006 PIT 16 2 69 35 624 17.8 49 4 2007 PIT 16 4 55 29 450 15.5 40 5 2008 PIT 16 1 78 40 631 15.8 65 3 2009 TEN 16 15 95 47 569 12.1 35 6 2010 TEN 16 16 94 42 687 16.4 71 6 2011 TEN 16 15 121 74 1,023 13.8 57 7 2012 TEN 16 14 89 46 746 16.2 71 4 2013 TEN 16 15 105 58 919 15.8 77 3 2014 TEN 16 11 72 40 647 16.2 80 2 2015 HOU 14 14 94 47 658 14.0 49 4 Career 159 107 873 458 6,954 15.2 80 44

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2005 PIT 3 0 3 1 13 13.0 13 0 2007 PIT 1 0 3 1 8 8.0 8 0 2008 PIT 3 0 16 7 62 8.9 18 0 2015 HOU 1 0 6 1 3 3.0 3 0 Career 8 0 28 10 86 8.6 18 0

Personal life Washington has two daughters with ex-wife Monique Johnson

His mother, Lisha, eventually earned an associate degree from the University of Toledo and in 2010 was honored by the nonprofit Mom's House of Toledo. She is a secretary for the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.