Hayden Randle Hurst (born August 24, 1993) 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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

. 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 ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

and was selected 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 ...

in the first round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

Early life

Hurst attended

The Bolles School The Bolles School is an American private college preparatory day and boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a lower school (including pre-kindergarten), a middle school, and a high school, spread across four campuses around the Jackso ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. He played

and baseball for the Bulldogs athletic teams. He graduated in 2012. Hurst was chosen by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

in the 17th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

and signed with the Pirates for a $400,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, turning down a baseball scholarship from

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. Hurst played two seasons in the Pirates organization before walking onto South Carolina's football team. In his only minor league pitching appearance, Hurst walked five batters and threw two wild pitches in one-third of an inning. Hurst gave up baseball because he was afflicted by "the

yips In sports, the yips are a sudden and unexplained loss of ability to execute certain skills in experienced athletes. Symptoms of the yips are losing fine motor skills and psychological issues that impact the muscle memory and decision-making of ath ...

College career

In 2015, as a

true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

, Hurst played in all 12 of South Carolina's games, catching eight passes for 106 yards. In 2016, as a sophomore, Hurst played in all 13 games, catching at least one pass in each. He caught a career high seven passes against

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. In total, Hurst caught 48 passes for 616 yards. He was awarded a scholarship the following spring. In 2017, as a junior, Hurst once again played in all 13 games (including the

2018 Outback Bowl The 2018 Outback Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 1, 2018, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 32nd annual Outback Bowl was one of the 2017–18 NCAA football bowl games concluding the 2017 NCAA Divisi ...

), catching 44 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns. He was unanimously named to the 2017

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

football team. Hurst declared for the

on December 7, 2017, nearly a month before the 2018 Outback Bowl against Michigan. Hurst recorded three receptions for 41 yards in the 2018 Outback Bowl for a 26–19 South Carolina victory over

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

College statistics

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

2018

The

selected Hurst in the first round (25th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the first tight end selected in the draft. On June 19, 2018, Hurst signed a four-year deal worth $11 million featuring a $6.1 million signing bonus. He recorded his first career touchdown reception, a 26-yard pass from fellow rookie

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

, on October 28, 2018, late in the fourth quarter of a 21–36 loss 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 ...

. Overall, Hurst finished the 2018 season with 13 receptions for 163 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2019

On September 15, 2019, in Week 2 against 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 ...

, Hurst caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson, the second of his career, as the Ravens won 23–17. In Week 14 against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Hurst caught three passes for 73 yards, including a career-long 61-yard touchdown pass from Jackson that helped the Ravens eventually win 24–17 and clinch a playoff berth. Overall, Hurst finished the 2019 season with 30 receptions for 349 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, Hurst caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown during the 12–28 loss.

Atlanta Falcons

On March 16, 2020, the Ravens agreed to trade Hurst to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

along with a fourth-round pick in the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

in return for 2020 second and fifth-round picks. The deal became official on March 18. In Week 2 against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

, Hurst caught five passes for 72 yards and his first touchdown reception as a member of the Falcons during the 39–40 loss. In the 2020 season, he had 56 receptions for 571 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. The Falcons declined to exercise the fifth-year option on Hurst's contract on May 3, 2021, making him a free agent after the 2021 season. On November 18, 2021, Hurst was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with an ankle injury. He was activated on December 11, 2021. In the 2021 season, he had 26 receptions for 221 yards and three touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bengals

Hurst signed a one-year contract with the

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

on March 18, 2022. He was named the Bengals starting tight end in 2022, recording 52 catches for 414 yards and two touchdowns with 13 starts. In the Divisional Round win over the Bills, he had a receiving touchdown in the 27–10 win.

Carolina Panthers

Hurst signed a three-year contract with the Panthers on March 15, 2023. On December 6, Hurst's father, Jerry Hurst, tweeted that Hurst was dealing with

post-traumatic amnesia Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a state of mental confusion, confusion that occurs immediately following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which the injured person is Orientation (mental), disoriented and unable to remember events that occur after ...

due to a concussion suffered in Week 10. Hurst returned to practice the same day, but was then placed on injured reserve on December 15. He finished with 18 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown in nine games. On March 13, 2024, Hurst was released by the Panthers.

Los Angeles Chargers

On March 15, 2024, Hurst signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. He appeared in nine games and had eight receptions for 73 yards in the 2024 season.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Hayden 1993 births Living people American football tight ends Atlanta Falcons players Baltimore Ravens players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast Pirates players Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida South Carolina Gamecocks football players Cincinnati Bengals players Carolina Panthers players Los Angeles Chargers players