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Trae Waynes (born July 25, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, 11th overall of the 2015 NFL draft. He also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Waynes was also a standout track & field athlete. In 2010, he won the county indoor track championship in the 60-yard and 220-yard dashes and recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.37 s) at the Midwest Ultimate 100 Camp. In 2011, he finished third in the 100m (10.85 s) at the Division I State T&F Championships, and recorded a career-best time of 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the SEC Outdoor Conference Meet, where he placed first. He also contributed as a member of the 4 × 100m and 4 × 200-meter relay squads, with bests of 42.26 seconds and 1:28.98 minutes.
Considered a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Waynes was listed as the No. 94 safety in the nation in 2011. He was rated the No. 72 cornerback and No. 94 safety in the nation by Scouts Inc. He was listed among the Midwest's top prospects by Super Prep at No. 67. He was also rated among Wisconsin's top high school seniors by Rivals.com as the No. 14. Waynes chose Michigan State over scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa State, and Wisconsin, among others.
As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Waynes earned his first letter as he appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams and as a backup. In the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl game against TCU, he played a majority of the snaps at cornerback and tallied a season-high three tackles; he was also credited with a half Quarterback sack for a loss of 1 yard against the Horned Frogs. Waynes finished his freshman season with 5 tackles, including two solo.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Waynes started all 14 games at field cornerback for the Spartans, recording a career-high 50 tackles (1.5 for loss), five pass deflections and three interceptions. For his season efforts, Waynes was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference pick by the coaches and media, was named to the CollegeFootballNews.com All-Sophomore Team (second team) and received MSU's Tommy Love Award (most improved player on defense). In the Spartans 2013 Big Ten Football Championship Game win against No. 2 Ohio State, he was credited with four stops. In the 2014 Rose Bowl game against No. 5 Stanford, he recorded his third interception of the season and tallied three tackles, helping Michigan State win their first Rose Bowl since 1988.
His junior season honors included being named second-team All-American by Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News and Athlon Sports, third-team All-American from the Associated Press (AP), Phil Steele and SI.com (honorable mention). He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media, becoming MSU's third first-team All-Big Ten cornerback under head coach Mark Dantonio. Waynes was one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back) and was the defensive recipient of MSU's Jim Adams Award (unsung hero).
Waynes collected 101 tackles, six interceptions and 13 pass deflections in 36 career games with the Spartans, including 27 consecutive starts.
On May 7, 2015, the Vikings signed Waynes to a fully guaranteed four-year, $12.94 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $7.67 million.
Throughout training camp, Waynes competed against Captain Munnerlyn, Terence Newman, and Josh Robinson to be a starting cornerback. Head coach Mike Zimmer named Waynes the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Xavier Rhodes, Newman, and Munnerlyn.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Vikings' season-opening 20–3 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 9, he recorded four solo tackles and made a season-high two pass deflections during a 21–18 win against the St. Louis Rams. Waynes was inactive for the Vikings' Week 12 loss at the Atlanta Falcons due to an ankle injury. On December 10, 2015, Waynes earned his first career start as a nickelback after Terence Newman was moved to safety due to multiple injuries. Waynes finished the 23–20 loss at the Arizona Cardinals with a season-high five solo tackles and one pass deflection. Waynes finished his rookie season in 2015 with 30 combined tackles (26 solo) and four pass deflections in 15 games and one start. According to Pioneer Press Vikings beat reporter Chris Tomasson, Waynes was the least-used rookie of Minnesota's 18 first-round picks since 2000, except linebacker Chad Greenway, who missed his 2006 rookie season due to a knee injury.
The Vikings finished first in the NFC North with an 11–5 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 10, 2016, Waynes appeared in his first career playoff game and recorded three combined tackles, made two pass deflections, and an interception as the Vikings lost 10–9 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Game. Waynes was thrust into a pivotal pass defense role during the second half after veteran cornerback Terence Newman suffered an ankle injury. On the Seahawks' first series of the third quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson promptly targeted Waynes and attempted a deep pass to rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett, but it was broken up by Waynes. Five plays later on a fourth-and-three situation, Waynes intercepted Wilson at the Vikings' 22-yard line after the ball was tipped by a Seahawks' tight end.
Waynes was inserted as the No. 1 cornerback for the first two regular season games after Rhodes sustained a hamstring injury during pre-game warmups against the Titans. He started in the Vikings' season-opener at the Tennessee Titans and collected a season-high ten solo tackles during their 25–16 victory. The following week, Waynes was moved to nickelback and replaced at outside cornerback by Alexander after drawing consecutive penalties in the third quarter and struggling to cover wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Waynes finished the Vikings' 17–14 win against the Green Bay Packers with four solo tackles, one pass deflection, and an interception. His interception off a pass by Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the first interception in U.S. Bank Stadium. On December 11, 2016, Waynes recorded one tackle and broke up a pass before exiting in the third quarter of the Vikings' 25–16 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a concussion. The following week, Waynes remained in concussion protocol and was inactive for their Week 15 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 17, he recorded two solo tackles, made a season-high three pass deflections, and made one interception during a 38–10 victory against the Chicago Bears. He finished the season with 50 combined tackles (42 solo), 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 15 games and eight starts.
The Vikings finished the season first in the NFC North with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye. On January 14, 2018, Waynes started his first career playoff game and recorded four solo tackles and broke up one pass during a 29–24 win against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round. The following week, he made three combined tackles and broke up a pass as the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs after a 38–7 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Waynes was inactive for the Vikings' Week 5 victory at the Eagles after spraining his ankle the previous week. In Week 7, Waynes recorded three combined tackles, made a career-high four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Jets' quarterback Sam Darnold during a 37–17 win at the New York Jets.
After missing the first three games with a hamstring injury, he made his Bengals debut in Week 4 of the 2021 season. He started the next two games before re-injuring the hamstring injury in Week 5. He was placed on injured reserve on October 12. He was activated on December 18. Waynes remained on the roster and active throughout the Bengals' playoff run and in Super Bowl LVI, though only playing very few select special teams snaps.
On March 21, 2022, Waynes was released by the Bengals.
In a June 20 interview, Waynes noted that he was no longer interested in continuing his NFL career, saying 'In my head, I'm done.'
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