Jabar Gaffney

Jabar Gaffney

Gaffney during the Redskins training camp in 2011
No. 10     Washington Redskins
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: December 1, 1980 (1980-12-01)
Place of birth: San Antonio, Texas
High School: William M. Raines High School Jacksonville, Florida
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33
Debuted in 2002 for the Houston Texans
Career history
Houston Texans (2002–2005) Philadelphia Eagles (2006)* New England Patriots (2006–2008) Denver Broncos (2009–2010) Washington Redskins (2011) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
SEC Championship (2000) First-team All-SEC (2000, 2001) First-team All-American (2000, 2001) Ed Block Courage Award (2005)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Receptions	443
Receiving Yards	5,622
Receiving TDs	24
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Derrick Jabar Gaffney (born December 1, 1980) is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was twice recognized as an All-American. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and has also played for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos of the NFL.

Early years

Gaffney was born in San Antonio, Texas. He attended William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and was a letterman for the Raines Vikings high school football team. In football, he was a two-year starter as a wide receiver, and as a junior in 1997, he caught the game-winning, fourth quarter touchdown pass in the state championship game.

College career

Gaffney received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team in 2000 and 2001. The Gators coaching staff decided to redshirt him as true freshman in 1999. Gaffney became a prolific pass-catcher as a first-year starter for the Gators, and made a game-winning touchdown catch with fourteen seconds remaining to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 27–23—a game that ultimately decided the 2000 winner of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2000 and 2001, a first-team All-American in 2000, and a consensus first-team All-American after his sophomore season in 2001. He finished his two-season college career with 138 receptions for 2,375 yards and twenty-seven touchdowns, and was chosen by his teammates as the Gators' most valuable player.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Gaffney was selected with the 1st pick in the 2nd round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. His tenure with the team was marred by his often inconsistent play which led to his benching in favor of veteran receivers, in particular Corey Bradford. After his rookie contract was up the Texans chose not to re-sign him after he put up less-than stellar stats.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 16, 2006, the Eagles signed Gaffney to a one-year contract, but released him prior to the start of the regular season.

New England Patriots

Jabar Gaffney at the Patriots 2007 Training Camp.

On October 9, 2006, Gaffney signed a two-year deal with the Patriots. 2007 was his first solid season. On March 5, 2008, Gaffney re-signed with the Patriots for one year worth $2 million.

In his first-ever playoff game, on January 7, 2007 against the New York Jets, Gaffney had a near-career day, catching eight passes for 104 yards, his second 100-yard performance as a receiver (in ten regular season games, Gaffney caught 11 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown.) Gaffney followed that performance a week later against San Diego with another 100-yard game, in which he caught ten passes and scored a touchdown.

Jabar Gaffney finished the 2008 season with 44 receptions for 468 yards and two touchdowns. His longest reception was 37 yards. His best game came against the Cardinals in week 16, when he had 90 yards receiving.

Denver Broncos

On February 27, 2009, Gaffney signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Denver Broncos. The deal included $3 million guaranteed. In the Broncos' week 17 loss to Kansas City, he had a career day, catching 14 passes for 213 yards as the Broncos played without Brandon Marshall, who was benched for disciplinary reasons by head coach Josh McDaniels. He finished the 2009 season with 54 receptions for 732 yards and two touchdowns, ranking second on the team in receptions and receiving yards. Gaffney put up 875 yards in 2010.

Washington Redskins

Gaffney was traded to the Washington Redskins for defensive end Jeremy Jarmon on July 27, 2011. In his first season with the Redskins, Gaffney set a new career high for himself with 919 receiving yards after Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings. At the end of the 2011 season, this record would increase to 947 receiving yards and Gaffney would be the leader in receiving yards for the entire team.

Family

Gaffney and his wife Terin have a son, Jackson Tyrel Gaffney, and a daughter, Teagan Danae Gaffney. He is the son of former New York Jets wide receiver Derrick Gaffney, and the first cousin of Oakland Raiders cornerback Lito Sheppard.

See also

• Florida Gators
• List of Florida Gators football players
• List of Houston Texans players
• List of New England Patriots players

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.

External links

• New England Patriots bio
• Denver Broncos Bio