Former Pro Bowl TE Reveals Exact Moment During Game With Giants He Decided to Retire

Darren Waller realized in the middle of a game he was ready to retire.

Former New York Giants tight end Darren Waller. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Former NFL tight end Darren Waller opened up about his decision to retire following the 2023 season after nine years in the NFL. Over his career, Waller had played for the Baltimore Ravens, Raiders, and New York Giants, recording two 1,000-yard receiving season and earning one Pro Bowl nod.

Waller saw success during his time in the NFL, but his decision to retire came to him suddenly while he was playing for the Giants in 2023. In the Giants' game against the Buffalo Bills that season, Waller realized in the first quarter that he longer wanted to continue playing.

“It was in the first quarter of the game,” Waller said on The Side You Don’t See podcast. “We were running like this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of like leading through the hole like I’m a fullback. And the play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it three times and I’m like, ‘What the f— am I doing with my life? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this s--- anymore.’”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Side You Don’t See (@sideudontsee)

"I'm just looking at the moon," Waller continued. "It's early first quarter, second quarter. Nobody else would really even know that I'm thinking this. I'm like, 'Yep, I'm going to finish this year to the best of my ability, but I'm definitely done playing after this year.'"

After a controversial fourth-quarter no-call on what looked like pass interference on a pass Waller in the end zone, the Giants would go on to lose to the Bills 14–9. Waller went on to finish the rest of the season, but called it quits after the Giants finished 6–11 in '23.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed