Tag: Darren Waller

Report: Giants’ Darren Waller, Kelsey Plum divorcing after one year

New York Giants TE Darren Waller, who is contemplating retirement, and his wife, Kelsey Plum, have reportedly jointly filed for divorce.

New York Giants star tight end Darren Waller, who has been away from the team while he contemplates retirement, is getting divorced after just one year of marriage from his wife, WNBA Star Kelsey Plum.

From People Magazine:

On April 23, Plum, 29, and Waller, 31, filed a joint petition for divorce in Clark County, Nevada, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Just after the filing, Plum shared a heartbreaking message on social media. “I’m devastated. I walked through fire for that man, but now I see it’s time to go,” she wrote on Instagram Stories.

“God has given me an incredible life, and I’m truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends,” the Las Vegas Aces star continued.

“One day I’ll share my story, today is not that day. Thank you for the grace to process my pain, to forgive and move forward. Today and everyday I will continue to choose joy. Much love KP.”

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The Giants traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders last March in exchange for the former, oft-injured Pro Bowler. He played in 12 games, missing five due to a hamstring injury. Waller finished second on the team last season with 52 receptions for 552 yards but only managed one touchdown.

This offseason, Waller has been cagey about his football future and the Giants have been giving him enough room to make his decision.

“We’re giving Darren his space,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen told the media last week while stating there was ‘no deadline’ for a decision.

“We’ve had conversations with Drew Rosenhaus, his agent. He’s kept us in the loop on Darren. We’re giving him his space. Hopefully, he’s going to make a de in the short term, but we’re giving him time and space to make a decision on what he wants to do.”

The Giants would ideally like to know Waller’s fate before this week’s NFL draft so they can possibly use one of their six draft picks on a tight end. Schoen has added two veteran tight ends to the roster in Chris Manhertz and Jack Stoll as insurance if Waller decides to pack it in.

In a recent interview with Forbes, Waller gave some insight into his current thought process.

“I’m at the point now where I’m like, ‘OK, how much am I willing to give to the process,'” said Waller. “If it’s not 100%, it’s a disservice to the teammates and the organization that I have. I’m still trying to make a decision on that and it’s tough to make one or the other out of emotion.”

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Giants haven’t given Darren Waller a deadline for his retirement decision

The New York Giants are giving TE Darren Waller some “space” and haven’t requested that a retirement decision be made by a certain date.

The 2024 NFL draft is less than a week away and the New York Giants still don’t know what they’re going to have at the tight end position.

Veteran Darren Waller, who is skipping the team’s voluntary offseason workout program, has not yet decided his future and appears no closer to doing so. Despite that, the Giants have put no pressure on him to reach a conclusion.

“We’re giving Darren his space. We’ve had conversations with Drew Rosenhaus, his agent. He’s kept us in the loop on Darren. We’re giving him his space. Hopefully, he’s going to make a de in the short term, but we’re giving him time and space to make a decision on what he wants to do,” general manager Joe Schoen told reporters on Thursday.

“We haven’t given him a deadline.”

Waller recently revealed that he’s unsure if he can commit 100 percent to the game of football, which would seem to indicate that one foot is already out the door.

“I have to make a decision at some point,” Waller told The Athletic in early April. “You have to be 100 percent bought in, for the grind. And I have to make sure I am bringing that to the table, or it’s a disservice to the guys I am suiting up with.

“I also want to give the team time, where whichever way I go, they can prepare for next season. So … it’s a little bit of a difficult decision, but here we are.”

Although the Giants are being remarkably patient with Waller, who they acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders last year, it would benefit them to know his plans ahead of the draft.

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Giants’ Darren Waller may not decide future before 2024 NFL draft

New York Giants TE Darren Waller won’t commit to a retirement decision prior to the 2024 NFL draft: ‘Don’t want to put that on myself.’

If this were an installment of the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise, the George Clooney character would be asking New York Giants tight end Darren Waller his signature question: Are you in, or are you out?

With the team beginning voluntary workouts next week, Waller, 31, is still undecided about whether he’ll continue his NFL career.

Last week in Las Vegas, however, Waller was seen working out and giving pointers to prospective draft picks at Las Vegas Sports Park with Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell.

Longtime Raiders beat reporter Vic Tafur, now of The Athletic, caught up with the former Raiders Pro Bowler, who has missed 19 games because of injuries the past three seasons. He asked if Waller would be returning to his current team, the Giants, or calling it a career.

“I have to make a decision at some point,” Waller said. “You have to be 100 percent bought in, for the grind. And I have to make sure I am bringing that to the table, or it’s a disservice to the guys I am suiting up with. I also want to give the team time, where whichever way I go, they can prepare for next season. So … it’s a little bit of a difficult decision, but here we are.”

The Giants are hoping to get an answer soon out of Waller. Before the NFL draft at the end of the month would be nice so the Giants can plan accordingly.

“That would be ideal, but I also don’t want to put that on myself,” he said. “It’s gotta be before summer break, for sure.”

The Giants have already backfilled their tight end room, adding Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz in free agency to go along with the returning Daniel Bellinger.

Waller stands to lose $200,000 by missing the Giants’ offseason program and $11.8 million if he decides to retire.

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Giants’ Darren Waller isn’t sure if he can commit 100% to the process

New York Giants TE Darren Waller says he’s not sure he can commit 100 percent to the football process and remains undecided on retirement.

The New York Giants thought they were getting a solution to their tight end woes last March when they traded for Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Darren Waller.

The 6-foot-6 Waller had been one of the NFL’s top players at the position until a spate of injuries slowed him down. The Giants were hoping he’d regain his old form in 2023, but injuries once again punt a crimp in the plans.

This spring, Waller is still undecided if he’ll continue his NFL career. The Giants have been patient with him and are respecting his personal space, but may not wait too much longer.

“I talked to his agent,” general manager Joe Schoen said a few weeks ago. “Darren is going to take time and make his decision. He’s still undecided. I’m not going to get into the details. I’ve talked to him. He is undecided.”

In a recent interview with Forbes, the 31-year-old Waller gave some insight into his current thought process.

“I’m at the point now where I’m like, ‘OK, how much am I willing to give to the process,'” said Waller. “If it’s not 100%, it’s a disservice to the teammates and the organization that I have. I’m still trying to make a decision on that and it’s tough to make one or the other out of emotion.”

Waller was traded from Las Vegas to New York after signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the Raiders with the intention of staying in Sin City. Only two weeks prior to the trade, Waller had married Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum.

“Being traded itself was not a surprise. Going to the Giants was a surprise. I had heard earlier in the season a couple of different times that I was being shopped around from my agent,” he said. “When I was traded, it wasn’t the trade itself, it was more so to the team. I had heard the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins and some other teams.”

Waller’s life has been uprooted and that, perhaps, along with the injuries has him second-guessing his future in New York.

“People don’t see a lot of the human element when it comes to moving across the country, finding somewhere to live, you don’t have any friends,” Waller said. “There’s a lot of things that help a human being thrive and those things get taken away from you. You have to rebuild and work through that adversity. Those are the kind of things that you have to roll with when you’re in this type of industry.”

But Waller may decide to stop the roll. If so, the Giants will be ready. They’ve been loading up their tight end room with veterans and could grab another in the 2024 NFL draft.

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With Darren Waller considering retirement, Giants focusing on Plan B at TE

With the future of TE Darren Waller uncertain, the Giants are focusing on an alternative plan just in case.

The New York Giants thought they had their tight end situation solved when they traded for former Pro Bowler Darren Waller last March.

The 2023 season was not Waller’s best by far. The 31 year-old was once again felled by the injury bug, missing the better part of five games with a hamstring issue.

This season is opening with Waller still undecided on whether he will retire from football or give it one more go. As the NFL draft looms, the Giants remain in the dark.

“I talked to his agent,” general manager Joe Schoen said this week. “Darren is going to take time and make his decision. He’s still undecided. I’m not going to get into the details. I’ve talked to him. He is undecided.”

But the Giants have not exactly been sitting on their hands. They recently signed two veterans in free agency (Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz) and appear to be preparing financially for a season without Waller.

The Giants have not met with any tight end prospects in the upcoming NFL draft as far as we know. Their tight ends room heading into camp without Waller would be Daniel Bellinger, Stoll, Manhertz, Tyree Jackson, and possibly Lawrence Cager.

Schoen did not rule out adding a tight end between now and the beginning of the season.

“We’re excited about those guys,” Schoen said of Stoll and Manhertz. “We still have the draft. We don’t play until September. You just have to be patient.”

 “There’s ways to acquire players throughout the process,” he continued. “We did it with Jason Pinnock. We got him at the final cutdown. There’s different times of the year when you can acquire players, and we’re going to give Darren his time and I’m going to keep mine and Darren’s conversations between us. But we’re looking forward to the players that are going to be there in April, and we’ll keep building.”

In the meanwhile, Waller will be given as much time as he needs to make his decision, but you know the old saying about retirement: If you’re entertaining it, you’re likely going to do it.

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Joe Schoen: Darren Waller still undecided on retirement

New York Giants TE Darren Waller has yet to make a decision.

Last offseason, the New York Giants made their biggest splash when they acquired tight end Darren Waller.

Prior to this years’ free agency period, it was the reported that Waller was considering retirement. Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen gave an update on the situation at the league meetings on Monday:

Waller, 31, would be entering his tenth year in the league and has had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons.

Waller was underwhelming in Year 1 with the Giants. However, to be fair, the offense had a ton of injuries on the offensive line and quarterback Daniel Jones. Waller also spent time on the shelf due to injury.

With Saquon Barkley now gone, the Giants certainly need weapons on the offense, even if they select a wide receiver with their first round pick.

Waller recently said he will decide soon. As the Giants continue to wait, they are clearly respecting his time to make the decision. Just as they did with Leonard Williams, the Giants continue to have the players’ best interest in mind.

If the tight end retires, it would open up over $6 million in cap space.

With the Giants in the middle of a rebuild, it will be interesting to see if the status of the time contributes to Waller’s decision.

Giants’ Darren Waller says he’ll make retirement decision soon

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller remains uncertain about his future but says he’ll decide on retirement soon.

The New York Giants sent a third-round pick (No. 100 overall) in last year’s draft to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller.

The Giants took a shot that Waller would be able to get through an entire season injury-free and give them an impact player at tight end.

It didn’t quite go as well as planned. Waller played in just 12 games, starting 11, and caught 52 passes for 552 yards and just one touchdown. At times he looked like the old Waller. At others, he just looked old.

Recently, Waller told reporters that he was contemplating retirement at age 31. He is still in the process of making up his maid about his future.

“I’m undecided at the moment,” Waller told The Athletic. “It’s really the idea of signing up for another journey. It’s tough, it’s long, it requires a lot. And if you’re not fully bought into every single thing of the process, it’s going to be tough. I feel like at the end of the day, you’re doing guys a disservice if you’re not all the way in. So those are the kinds of things I’m taking into account.”

If Waller calls it quits he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

“The expectation is he’ll be back,” general manager Joe Schoen said of Waller after the season.

Schoen was asked if he would make the trade again after what he saw of Waller last year.

“I would do it again,” Schoen said. “I would do it again with Waller. I mean, you guys saw him this spring, you saw him in the summer. Unfortunately, he had the injury before the Dallas game. Again, he was still a productive part of our offense when available. I would do that again every day of the week.”

Either way, the Giants will likely be seeking additional options at tight end this coming week in free agency and possibly in April’s draft.

Big Blue will also have a new tight ends coach this season — former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly — who could change the way the team uses tight ends in their scheme.

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7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

Giants’ Darren Waller not committed to return, still considering retirement

After reports surfaced that he intended to return in 2024, New York Giants TE Darren Waller says he is “still undecided” on his future.

Will tight end Darren Waller return to the New York Giants in 2024?

On Friday, the New York Post reported that Waller had considered retirement following the 2023 regular season but recently made the decision to return for one more season.

Darren Waller will return for a second season with the Giants.

Why is this news? Well, following the 2023 season, Waller expressed to individuals in the Giants organization that he was contemplating retirement, sources told the Post.

That may not be the case, however.

Shortly after that report surfaced, Waller reached out to the Post and acknowledged that retirement remains an option. He has not yet committed to a return and he’s “still undecided” on his future.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

The Giants acquired Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick. He appeared in 12 games, hauling in 52 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown.

After an impressive spring, many expected Waller to turn back the clock and become the dominant offensive weapon he once was. He felt healthy and adjusted his training in order to improve his sustainability. But that obviously did not happen.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

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Report: Darren Waller considered retirement but will return to Giants

Darren Waller strongly considered retirement after just one season with the New York Giants but has decided to return in 2024.

Editor’s note: Shortly after the Post released its report, Waller reached out to the paper and informed them he remains undecided on his future.

After an underwhelming season that saw him miss five games due to injury, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller strongly considered retirement.

However, after some time to think on it, Waller has decided that he will return to the Giants in 2024, reports Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

Darren Waller will return for a second season with the Giants.

Why is this news? Well, following the 2023 season, Waller expressed to individuals in the Giants organization that he was contemplating retirement, sources told the Post.

Although Waller is scheduled to earn a base salary of $10.5 million ($14 million cap hit), the Giants intend to stick with him. He will not be a cap casualty, the Post adds.

He is due to make $10.5 in base salary this season and count $14 million on the salary cap. He will not be a cap casualty, the Post learned.

The Giants want him back and hope he can stay healthy and be a more robust contributor to the offense than he was in 2023.

The Giants acquired Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick. He appeared in 12 games, hauling in 52 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown.

After an impressive spring, many expected Waller to turn back the clock and become the dominant offensive weapon he once was. He felt healthy and adjusted his training in order to improve his sustainability.

Neither one of those hopes played out but Waller intends to give it another shot in 2024.

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