Dolphins Reportedly Acquire Recently Retired Tight End

The Miami Dolphins are reportedly making another surprise trade.

The team agreed to acquire tight end Darren Waller from the New York Giants on Tuesday, NFL Media reported.

Surprise! The #Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the #Giants for former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement to play in Miami, per sources.

A fascinating twist for Waller, who retired last summer, and a new weapon for a team that just traded Jonnu Smith. pic.twitter.com/MDO2XnHClb
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 1, 2025

NFL Media later reported that the Dolphins are sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Giants for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick. The Dolphins are also signing Waller to a one-year contract worth up to $5 million with incentives.

It should be noted that Waller played under Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith when Smith was the tight end coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Still, what makes this such a surprise is that Waller had retired from football last summer to pursue a rap career. Around this time last year, Waller released a puzzling music video about his divorce from WNBA star Kelsey Plum, which made headlines.

Waller, who will be 33 years old in September, didn’t play last season, but the Giants retained his rights, so the Dolphins still had to acquire him in a trade rather than signing him as a free agent.

His last season was in 2023 when he recorded 52 catches for 552 yards and one touchdown. Waller’s peak was during the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders when he recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and was an All-Pro in 2019.

However, Waller’s numbers steeply declined in subsequent seasons as he dealt with injuries and was ultimately traded to the Giants. He did not make more than 11 starts during his final three seasons before his initial retirement.

Initial Reaction to Waller Trade

Obviously, this comes on the heels of Miami’s blockbuster trade with the Steelers that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick swap in 2027.

Waller figures to be a replacement for Smith, who made the Pro Bowl last season and set multiple Dolphins’ franchise records. The Dolphins needed another name in the tight end room, given they were set to rely on Pharaoh Brown, Julian Hill, Jalin Conyers, and Tanner Conner.

That said, Waller hasn’t stepped on a field since 2023, and although he was still productive with the Giants, he hasn’t been anywhere close to the player he was with the Raiders.

Additionally, this is the Dolphins betting on yet another player with an injury history. Waller missed a lot of time in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Plus, he mentioned a "very scary" hospitalization related to a medical episode in 2023 as one of the reasons he decided to retire in the first place.

Miami essentially gave up nothing to get him, and his contract being reported as “up to” $5 million means it’s less than that in actual value.

There’s not much risk with acquiring Waller, but this is a puzzling move for a team that seemed to pivot toward a different type of tight end this offseason.

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