Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason ( born January 17 , 1974 ) is a former American football wide receiver who played for fifteen seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans . Following eight seasons with the Oilers ( later called the Titans ) , including two Pro Bowl selections ( 2000 and 2003 ) , Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 . He became the Ravens ' all - time leading receiver with 5 , 777 yards from 2005 to 2010 , but he was released before the 2011 season . He spent 2011 on the New York Jets and Houston Texans rosters with little success . Mason decided to retire a Baltimore Raven on June 11 , 2012 . Early years . Mason attended Mumford High School in Detroit , Michigan . He set a school record for both catches ( 70 ) and receiving yards ( 1 , 243 ) . College career . Mason played college football at Michigan State . During his four - year career , he set a team record for kick off return yards of 2 , 384 . He also caught eight touchdowns . Professional career . Tennessee Titans . Mason started his career with the Oilers / Titans after being drafted in the 4th round ( 98th overall ) in the 1997 NFL Draft . In his rookie season he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards . He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders on August 31 . The following season he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 3 yards and three touchdowns , the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears on October 25 . He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards . In the 1999 season , Mason gained 1 , 030 yards returning punts and kickoffs , assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee ' s 23 – 16 loss . He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33 - 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the . In the 2000 season , he led the NFL in punt return yards ( 662 ) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1 , 132 yards ( an NFL leading 27 yards per return average ) , giving him 2 , 690 combined receiving and special teams yards , breaking the NFL record for all - purpose yards in a single season previously held by Lionel James ( 2 , 535 ) . Darren Sproles broke Mason ' s record in 2011 with 2 , 696 yards . He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2 , 000 yard mark . He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl . In 2001 , he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns , a career high . Just as he had done the previous season , he went past the 2 , 000 all purpose yards mark , the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons . The following season he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions , reception yards and touchdowns . In 2003 , he started all 15 games and finished the season with 1 , 303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL . The following season , in 2004 , he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1 , 168 yards and seven touchdowns . Baltimore Ravens . Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an unrestricted free agent on March 7 , 2005 . In his first year with the team , he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions , a Ravens franchise season record . In 2006 , he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns . Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair 30 , 000 passing yards for his career in the 19 - 7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills . The following year , Mason had 103 receptions for 1 , 087 yards and five touchdowns . Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions in a season . He also had a 79 yard score . In 2008 , Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl . In 2008 , he had 80 receptions for 1037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns . He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco . Mason dislocated his shoulder when he fell after a catch in a game against the Houston Texans , eventually coming back to finish the contest . Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the New York Giants . Mason re - aggravated of his injury against the Dallas Cowboys , but finished the game with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown . He led the team with a postseason career - high 12 receptions for 190 yards , including a postseason career long 48 yard touchdown reception . 2009 saw Mason continue his solid production with 73 catches for 1 , 028 yards . Mason scored seven times , two more than the previous year . On November 21 , 2010 , Mason caught his 900th reception , becoming the 13th receiver in NFL history to do so . In a 2010 game against the Carolina Panthers , Mason and Flacco got into an argument on the sidelines . Mason was reportedly upset that Flacco was late in getting a pass to him . The two apparently settled their differences . Mason had 61 catches for 802 yards and seven scores that season . When the NFL announced the new collective bargaining agreement on July 25 , 2011 , the Ravens announced their intention to release Mason upon the start of free agency to free salary cap space . He was formally released by the team on July 28 . New York Jets . Mason signed with the New York Jets on August 6 , 2011 . His statistical production was limited . Also , there were some problems in the team locker room . Some said that Mason was a cancer to the team , and that he complained about offensive coodinator Brian Schottenheimer ' s playcalling . Said Mason , " I never complained to Rex Ryan or Mike Tannenbaum , and I hope that one day it come out who actually did it , but I doubt it . " Mason said in a report published by Scout . com . " I never went to Rex or Mike to complain about Brian ' s play - calling . " Houston Texans . The Jets traded Mason to the Houston Texans on October 11 , 2011 , in exchange for a conditional seventh - round draft pick . Mason caught only 6 passes for 55 yards . He was later released on December 12 . Retirement . Mason announced his retirement from football by signing a 1 - day contract with Baltimore Ravens on June 11 , 2012 . Personal . Mason and his wife , Marci , were married on June 7 , 1997 and have 2 children : daughter , Bailee My - Lin ( 3 - 24 - 1999 ) , and son , Derrick James II ( 7 - 11 - 2003 ) . Marci is the " The Derrick Mason Foundation " organization ’ s Vice President . In 2012 , Mason was hired as the Wide Receiver ' s Coach at Ensworth High School in Nashville , Tennessee alongside former teammate , Linebacker ' s Coach , Lemanski Hall .