Leon Washington

At 41 years old, Leon Washington has this physical status:

Leon Dewitt Washington Sr. (born August 29, 1982) is a former American football running back and return specialist.

He currently serves as a coach for the Detroit Lions.

He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

He played college football at Florida State.

Washington also played for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

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Early football career

Washington graduated from Andrew Jackson High School, where he established himself as a superb all-around player, including as running back, cornerback, and wide receiver. He rushed for 2,437 yards and 28 touchdowns in his senior year, leading to three punts and one kickoff for touch-downs, and defensively had 88 tackles (52 unassisted) and three interceptions. He was named "Mr. Florida" in football and received the Florida Times-Union Player of the Year award after this phenomenal year. He was dubbed No. 1 by the Orlando Sentinel. Alliance Sports named him the No. 3 prospect in the state of Florida, and the No. 3 prospect overall. The country has a 7-year outlook. He was selected by Rivals100.com as the No. 1 in the PrepStar Dream Team. With the No. 1 turnback in the country and the No. Overall, the 9 player is rated by TheInsiders.com as the No. 1 in the country and rated as the No. 1 by the No. The country has seen a 7th cornerback. He was named No. No. 77 in Florida and was named "No. 98." Bill Buchalter's Florida Super 26 was named on Athlon Sports Top 100 High School Seniors, SuperPrep's Top 100 nationally, and Max Emfinger's Top 200.

He preferred Florida State over the universities of Florida, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Maryland.

Washington earned an athletic scholarship to attend Florida State University, where he competed for the Florida State Seminoles football team from 2002 to 2005. He went from cornerback to running back as a freshman in 2002. He appeared in all 14 games and finished fourth on the team with 273 yards passing, while receiving six passes for 30 yards. With 273 total return yards and also in punt return average (11.5 yards per return) and kickoff return average (28.3 yards per return), he led the team to 273 total return yards and average (28.3 yards per return). He became the first true freshman at FSU to score a 100-yard rush game since Travis Minor in 1997. He was voted ACC Specialist of the Week twice by his appearances against Clemson and Duke, recovered a blocked punt in the endzone against Duke, and finished the year with 11 tackles on special teams, including two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Washington played in nine of Florida State's 13 games, including the Orange Bowl, in his sophomore year (2003). Despite missing four games after dislocating his right elbow in the first quarter of the season opener against North Carolina, he was the second leading rusher with 387 yards and a 5.2 percent average. The first Seminole since Peter Warrick's 59-yard victory over Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl, with Washington's punt return for a touchdown against Wake Forest. Against NC State, he rushed for 121 yards on 17 attempts, the most offensive by a Florida State running back during the season. On a 12-yard run against the North Carolina Wolfpack in the second overtime, he scored the game-winning touchdown to clinch the Seminole's 11th ACC Championship in 12 years as a league member. In Florida State's win over Virginia and 65 yards on 15 passes over Florida, Washington rushed for 69 yards on 13 carries in the Seminoles' victory over Florida.

In the Seminoles' victory over West Virginia, Washington earned the Gator Bowl Most Valuable Player award with 12 rushes for a career-high 195 yards. His 16.3 yards per rush is a single-game Florida State record, while his 195 yards are the second most by a Seminole player in a bowl game. He received All-ACC second-team recognition and was named as the Seminoles' offensive Most Valuable Player by the coaching staff at the team banquet. He appeared in ten of his 12 games while playing in ten of the ACC's most offensive yards per game with an average of 95.1. In addition, he came in second in the ACC with 112.5 offensive yards per game, while the team had 951 total yards of offense and seven rushing touchdowns, leading the team with 951 total yards and seven rushing touchdowns. With a 6.89 average yards per carry ranking, he came in second nationally in average yards per carry. For a total of 81 yards, his season featured 14 receptions for 98 yards and four kickoff returns. He finished second on the team behind only kicker Xavier Beitia.

Washington played in 11 games and began in ten, but he missed two games due to an ankle injury in the Maryland game. In five different ways, Washington became the only player in the Bobby Bowden era to score touchdowns: by run, reception, punt return, kick off return, and fumble recovery. He came in second on the team in rushing yards (430) with a 4.4 percent average and average of 10.7 yards per pass. He was the 10th player in FSU history to rush for 2,041 yards. In the Wake Forest game, he had 87 yards and 92 yards receiving, including a career-long 61-yard touchdown reception. In the 2005 season, Washington had six punts for 51 yards and four kickoffs for 63 yards. In the Orange Bowl (against Penn State) with 30 yards on six attempts, he led the team in rushing and added six catches for 24 yards. Washington appeared in 43 games during his FSU career, and was named by the coaching staff as the Seminoles' most dependable running back in spring practice in 2005.

Professional football career

In the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft, Washington was selected. The pick was made by the Jets from the Kansas City Chiefs as restitution for former Jets head coach Herman Edwards' release.

Washington got some buzz in his second preseason game, with a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins. Nevertheless, he did not have many carry in the first few weeks of the regular season. However, when the Jets' running game faltered in the first few weeks, his role in the offense increased. On a 47-yard reception in Buffalo in Week 3, he first demonstrated his versatility on a 47-yard field. In a Jets 41–0 loss, two weeks later in Jacksonville, he played for 101 yards in his first 100-yard rushing game.

Leon rushed for 129 yards for two touchdowns and led the Jets to a 31–24 victory over Detroit on October 22. Washington had 108 receiving yards and a 64-yard touchdown to set up the game-winning field goal in a 13-10 victory. With a touchdown run that resulted in the Jets' victory over the Oakland Raiders in the final game of the 2006 regular season, he helped the Jets clinch their fifth playoff spot in the AFC on New Year's Eve 2006. He had 650 yards passing and four touchdowns on 151 attempts during the regular season. He averaged 4.3 yards-per-carry. In a game against the New England Patriots in 2008, he returned 92 yards for a touchdown. In 2008, Washington gained 2,317 all-purpose yards, more than any other running back in the NFL.

In a Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills on November 2, 2008, Washington made a play as a kick returner after noticing a kickoff was blocked at the 8-yard line. Washington straddled the sideline and then put his hand on the ball as he knew it would remain in bounds. The officials first noticed the ball at the 8-yard line before Washington informed them that unless a player standing out of bounds touches it, the ball is out of bounds, which is in violation of the rulebook, meaning the correct call was Illegal procedure. The Jets had the ball at the 40-yard line, a 32-yard advantage in field position.

For Week 11 of the 2008 season, Washington was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the first time a player of the week was recognized. His 92-yard touchdown was his fourth kick return touchdown of his career, surpassing Justin Miller for the club record. In 2008, he led the league in all-purpose yards with 1606 yards.

Washington was out for the 2009 season with a compound fractured fibula that he sustained in Week 7 against the Oakland Raiders. Washington had rushed for 331 yards on 72 attempts before he sustained his season-ending injury, with a 4.6 yards/carry average. Prior to his injury, Washington had yet to score in 2009. Since Washington lined up at quarterback and was a Florida State Seminole, the Jets' wildcat team "seminole" is the word that comes to mind.

Washington signed his one-year contract with the Jets on April 15, 2010 (the NFL free agent deadline), worth $1.759 million.

In the 2010 NFL Draft, Washington was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth-round draft pick. On his new team, he was ranked 33; 29 went to first-round draft pick Earl Thomas. Washington also set a record of two kickoff return touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers on September 26, 2010. He returned for a team record 102 yards in the first half, then ran 99 yards for his second kickoff touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. Washington signed a four-year contract worth $12.5 million to remain with the Seattle Seahawks on March 1, 2011. Leon Washington was released by the Seahawks on March 12, 2013 after the Seahawks signed wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Washington signed with the New England Patriots on March 14, 2013. During the last roster cuts, the Patriots cut Leon Washington on September 1, 2013. The Patriots re-signed Washington on September 7. He was released on November 23, 2013.

Washington signed the Tennessee Titans on November 26, 2013.

On March 12, 2014, Washington re-signed with the Titans to another one-year contract.

Post-playing career

The Lions announced Washington on March 11, 2019 as their WCF minority coaching assistantship/offense and special teams coach.

On February 10, 2021, the Jets recruited Washington as a special teams assistant coach.

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