Background and career
Donté Lamar Stallworth (born November 10, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. Stallworth also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Redskins.
Stallworth was born in Sacramento, California. He attended Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California where he was a star in football and track and field, PR of 10.49 seconds in the 100 meters and 7.16 meters in long jump. He was a high school teammate of former Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Paris Warren.
Stallworth played college football at the University of Tennessee for the Volunteers, where his nickname was "Hands," as his teammates watched his ability to come up with difficult catches on a regular basis. In consecutive weeks in the 2001 season, Stallworth had games with three receiving touchdowns in each, one against Memphis and one against Kentucky. In the following game against Vanderbilt, he had a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. In the 2001 season, he had 41 receptions for 821 yards and ten touchdowns.
Stallworth was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (13th overall) of the 2002 NFL draft. He made his NFL debut versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8 and had four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. He caught a touchdown in his first four career games, becoming the first player to do so in 20 seasons. He caught eight touchdown passes in 2002, his rookie year, but saw less action the next season. As a full-time starter in 2004, he had 767 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In 2005, he recorded a career-high 70 receptions for 945 yards with seven touchdowns.
On August 28, 2006, Stallworth was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Mark Simoneau and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2007 NFL draft. In Stallworth's first game with the Eagles, less than two weeks after the trade, he caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Due to a nagging hamstring injury, he missed three games early in the regular season, but finished the year with 725 yards and five touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in each of the Eagles' postseason games that season. In March 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Stallworth was in the league substance abuse program.
On March 11, 2007, Stallworth agreed to terms with the New England Patriots on a reported six-year deal worth $30 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. The contract was incentive laden, meaning that the Patriots could release him if he underperformed for a small fraction of the full contract. Stallworth was a member of the famous 2007 Patriots, who went 16–0 in the regular season before losing in Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants. He had three receptions for 34 yards in the Super Bowl. He finished the 2007 season with 46 receptions for 697 yards and three touchdowns. On February 22, 2008, the Patriots declined the option on his contract and he became a free agent.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
