The wait is over. New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has announced his retirement from the NFL.
“We have great respect for Darren as a person and player. We wish him nothing but the best,” the Giants said in a statement, via Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com.
The much-expected and highly anticipated announcement came after months of hedging on both sides. The 31-year-old former Pro Bowler cited several reasons for his decision, mainly health and personal.
“The passion has slowly been fading. I’ve, you know, made the decision that I’ll be retiring from the NFL,” Waller said in a YouTube video. “Eternally grateful for the game of football. I wouldn’t be able to have this conversation or to think things through or be self-reflective if it wasn’t for an opportunity to save my life and go to rehab, which the NFL offered me.”
Waller recently entered into a divorce from his wife of barely a year, WNBA star Kelsey Plum, and has been battling a chronic hamstring issue that once again kept him off the field for weeks at a time last season.
Waller was acquired by the Giants in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2023 in exchange for a third-round draft pick.
Waller, a nine-year veteran who began his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, played in just 12 games for Big Blue last season, starting 11. He hauled in 52 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown.
Waller’s retirement frees up approximately $11.6 million in cap space for the Giants as he was scheduled to make $10.5 million with a $14.1 million cap number. The move will now only cost the Giants $2.5 million in dead cap money.
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