Darren Waller Still Contemplating Retirement After One Season with Giants
New York Giants tight end Darren Waller, perhaps frustrated by his ongoing injury battles as he sought to make a fresh start following his trade from the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick, contemplated retirement earlier this year, the New York Post reported.
The Post also initially reported that Waller was set to return for a second season with the Giants, an impression gleaned from a source familiar with the team's discussions with Drew Rosenhaus, Waller's agent. However, the Post is out with a new report quoting Waller as saying, "I have not made a decision either way" regarding his future.
Waller, who has had injury issues the last three years of his career, has begun planning for life after football by trying to launch a music career during his off-seasons. He recently released his second album, "Walking Miracle."
The 31-year-old Waller appeared in 12 games as a Giant, with 11 starts. He caught 52 of 74 pass targets for 552 yards and one touchdown, a disappointing showing considering how unguardable he looked during the spring and summer before his injury woes resurfaced.
If he returns to the Giants, he will have a cap hit of $14 million, $10 million of which is his base salary. If he retires, the Giants will save $6.707 million and be on the hook for $7.376 million in dead money if he's a standard transaction.
General manager Joe Schoen told reporters at the end of the season that he had no regrets over having made the trade for Waller, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2019 and 2020 with the Raiders.
“He was still a productive part of our offense when available,” Schoen said. “I would do that (trade) again every day of the week.”
The problem, of course, has been Waller's availability, largely driven by hamstring issues that saw him miss five games this past season. Between that and his budding music career, it's easy to see why Waller might have been at a crossroads regarding his future.
Even before the news of Waller's pending decision regarding his future, the Giants were thought to be looking at tight ends in both the draft and free agency to help beef up their depth at the position, where other than Waller, they'll have Daniel Bellinger, who is entering his third season.
