Ke'Montae Tayvon "Tae" Hayes (born August 19, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Appalachian State Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dou ...

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hayes signed with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

but was released before the start of the 2019 season. He was later signed to the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster to replace injured wide receiver Marqise Lee. He was waived on December 12, 2019.

Miami Dolphins

On December 13, 2019, Hayes was claimed off waivers by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. On September 5, 2020, Hayes was waived by the Dolphins and signed to the practice squad two days later. He was elevated to the active roster on September 24 and October 31 for the team's weeks 3 and 8 games against the Jaguars and

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was released on November 23, 2020.

Minnesota Vikings

On December 2, 2020, Hayes signed with the practice squad of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. He was elevated to the active roster on January 2, 2021, for the team's week 17 game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings on January 4, 2021. On March 5, 2021, he was waived by the Vikings.

Arizona Cardinals

On May 17, 2021, Hayes signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He was waived on August 5, 2021.

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

On December 30, 2021, Hayes was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

practice squad.

Birmingham Stallions

Hayes was selected with second pick of the ninth round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released thro ...

by the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On August 4, 2022, Hayes signed with the Panthers. He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 25. He was waived on December 10 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on December 20.

New England Patriots

On December 27, 2022, Hayes was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster four days later. On January 6, 2023, Hayes signed a two-year contract with New England. He was waived on February 15, 2023. On May 9, 2023, Hayes re-signed with the Patriots. He was waived on June 12, 2023.

Detroit Lions

On August 4, 2023, Hayes signed with the

. He was waived on August 11.

Baltimore Ravens

On August 13, 2023, Hayes was claimed off waivers by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. He was waived on August 29. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 4, 2023. He was released from the practice squad eight days later.

New York Jets

On October 3, 2023, Hayes was signed to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024. He was released by the Jets on June 24, 2024.

Personal life

On June 23, 2024, Hayes was arrested in Alabama for marijuana possession. He was released over an hour later after posting a $300 bond.

References

External links

Appalachian State bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Tae 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Decatur, Alabama American football cornerbacks Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players Carolina Panthers players Birmingham Stallions (2022) players New England Patriots players Detroit Lions players Baltimore Ravens players New York Jets players