JaQuavian Jy'Quese "Quay" Walker (born May 8, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Early life Walker was born on May 8, 2000, in Cordele, Georgia. He attended Crisp County High School, where he had 109 tackles, eight sacks, and an interception as a junior. Walker was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to play college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide before his senior year in 2017, but changed to Georgia in early 2018.
College career Walker played in all 14 of Georgia's games during his freshman season and had six total tackles. He saw increased playing time as a sophomore and finished the season with 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Walker finished as Georgia's fourth-leading tackler with 43 in his junior season.
Professional career
Green Bay Packers 2022 Walker was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. The Packers previously acquired the pick in a trade that sent Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. On May 6, 2022, he signed his rookie contract.
Walker was ejected in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills after an altercation with the Bills' coaching staff, following a play where Walker made a tackle on Buffalo's sideline. In Week 12, during a 40–33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Walker scooped up a fumble forced by teammate Rudy Ford on Eagles wide receiver A. J. Brown and returned it 63 yards to put the Packers in scoring position. Walker was ejected for the second time in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions after shoving a member of the Lions' medical staff, becoming the only player since the 2000 NFL season to be ejected more than once in a single season.
Walker played all 17 games in his rookie campaign, finishing the season with a team-high 121 total tackles (75 solo, 46 assisted). He also recorded a team-high three forced fumbles, as well as 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. For his efforts, he was named to the 2022 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
2023 In Week 1 of the 2023 season, during a 38–20 win over the Chicago Bears, Walker intercepted a pass from Justin Fields and returned it 37 yards for his first NFL touchdown. Walker finished the season with 14 appearances and starts, recording 2.5 sacks, 118 tackles, one interception, and three passes defended.
2025 On May 1, 2025, the Packers declined the fifth-year option in Walker's contract, making him a free agent in 2026.
Las Vegas Raiders On March 12, 2026, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Walker to a four-year, $40.5 million contract with $28 million guaranteed.
NFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2022 GB 17 16 121 75 46 1.5 5 0 7 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 63 0 2023 GB 14 14 118 59 59 2.5 7 0 3 1 37 37.0 37 1 0 0 0 0 2024 GB 13 13 102 72 30 2.5 9 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 GB 14 14 128 58 70 2.5 8 0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2026 LVR 2 2 16 7 9 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0Total 60 59 485 271 214 9.0 29 0 17 1 37 37.0 37 1 3 2 63 0Source: pro-football-reference.com
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2023 GB 2 2 20 9 11 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 GB 1 1 8 4 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 GB 1 1 6 3 3 0.0 1 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0Total 4 4 34 16 18 0.0 2 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0Source: pro-football-reference.com
References
External links
Georgia Bulldogs bio Las Vegas Raiders bio