O. J. Santiago

'''Otis Jason "O.J." Santiago''' (born April 4, 1974) is a Canadian football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round (70th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft, as well as by the Edmonton Eskimos in the fifth round, 40th overall of the 1997 CFL Draft. He played college football at Kent State.

Biography
Santiago attended Kent State University from 1992 to 1996. He caught 62 passes for 730 yards for an 11.8 career average with four touchdowns during his career at Kent State. He started 22 of 33 career games at Kent State and was named to the MAC All-Academic First-Team for three straight seasons, and in 1997, he was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round (70th overall) in the NFL Draft. During his first year, he totaled 217 receiving yards in eleven games, for an average of 12.8 yards per catch. In 1998, Santiago's yardage numbers went up to 478 receiving yards in 16 games, for an average of 15.9 yards per catch. He also drew attention for a dance he created to celebrate a touchdown. The dance later became known as the "Dirty Bird".

In 2000, Santiago was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where his receiving yardage went down. After spending the 2002 season injured, he played in the 2003 season for the Oakland Raiders, where he rebounded by playing in twelve games, with 69 receiving yards, and averaging 13.8 yards per catch. Having already totaling 972 yards before joining the Raiders, he was able to reach the 1,000 yard milestone during his short tenure with the Northern California team.

In 2004, Santiago was signed by the Denver Broncos who released him at the end of Training Camp. On 23 May 2006 Santiago resigned with the Oakland Raiders after not suiting up the 2005 season. On December 13, 2006 he signed with the New England Patriots, who released him 2 days later.

On August 7, 2007 The Oakland Raiders signed O. J. Santiago. However, he was released by the Raiders before the 2007 season began.

On May 14, 2010, he signed as a free agent with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.

On August 28, 2010, Santiago was released by the Alouettes.

Statistics
In his career, Santiago has played in 68 NFL games, gaining a total of 1,041 yards for an average of 12.9 yards per catch. He has scored nine touchdowns in the NFL.