Giants Tight End Darren Waller Retiring
Photo Credit: Mitchell Leff, Getty Images
On Sunday, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller reported to the team that he intends to retire from the National Football League, per Ian Rappaport.
Sources: #Giants TE Darren Waller has informed the team he plans to retire, walking away at the age of 31 after just one season with NYG.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 9, 2024
Waller hasn’t attended workouts, and the team had known for some time he may not play. Now, he’s officially let them know before minicamp. pic.twitter.com/1ZTmj1VX2m
Waller, a sixth-round draft pick in 2015 by the Baltimore Ravens, played two seasons with the team. Following the short, mostly uninspiring stint with Baltimore, Waller went on to spend five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he burst onto the scene. In the 2019 & 2020 seasons, Waller posted consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. Coming off years of success, the prolific tight end signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. Unfortunately, Waller was unable to stay on the field as he was impacted by lingering injuries leading to decreased production overall.
In the 2023 offseason, Waller was traded to the New York Giants for a third-round pick in an effort to provide a stable, reliable veteran for quarterback Daniel Jones. In his one season with the Giants he appeared in 12 games, racking up 52 receptions alongside 552 yards and one touchdown.
The 2024 offseason has certainly been an interesting one for Waller. On April 23, Waller’s now ex-wife, Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces in the Women’s National Basketball Association, announced on X that the pair would be getting a divorce.
— Kelsey Plum (@Kelseyplum10) April 23, 2024
While only being married for just over a year, Waller and Plum’s marriage was in the spotlight with multiple public appearances. Another new development of Waller’s story came when he released his song “Who Knew (Her Perspective)” accompanied by a music video featuring a woman playing as Plum.
Waller ends his nine-season career with totals of 330 catches, 4,124 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns and one Pro Bowl appearance in 2020.
As for the Giants and the tight end position, they will turn to a combination of third-year player Daniel Bellinger and fourth-round rookie draft pick Theo Johnson.
