Jason Rader

Jason Rader (born April 12, 1981 in St. Albans, West Virginia) is an American football tight end who used to be a member of the Atlanta Falcons. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Marshall.

Rader has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.

Early years
Rader attended high school at St. Albans High School in St. Albans, West Virginia.

First stint with Falcons
Rader was originally undrafted out of Marshall. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons, but was released at the conclusion of training camp. He had a workout for the San Francisco 49ers in October but spent the year out of football.

Miami Dolphins
In the spring, Rader played with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa, catching 21 passes for 189 yards. In June, he signed a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. Though he was released at the end of training camp, he spent the final eight games of the season on the team's practice squad.

Rader was re-signed by the team in January 2006. He was waived the following September, but re-signed to the practice squad. A few weeks later on September 16, Rader was signed to the Dolphins' active roster. He played five games (including one start) and accumulated no statistics before being released on November 8.

The Dolphins signed Rader to a future contract in January. He was released on August 27.

New England Patriots
Rader was signed to the Patriots' practice squad on September 3 after a tryout with the team on August 31.

He was released in late September.

Second stint with Atlanta
On March 14, 2008, Rader re-signed with the Atlanta Falcons after last playing with the team in the 2004 preseason. He was released by the team during final cuts on August 30, but re-signed on September 17 after the team waived tight end Martrez Milner.

Rader remained with the Falcons until October 29, when he was released to make room for re-signed offensive tackle Wayne Gandy. Rader had appeared in six games for the Falcons, catching one pass. Rader re-signed with the Falcons on December 8.

On April 24, 2010, Jason Rader announced that he was retiring.