After Playing Just One Season for the Giants, Darren Waller Is Still Considering Retirement
Perhaps fed up with trying to start over after being traded from the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller considered retirement earlier this year, according to the New York Post. A source familiar with the Giants’ conversations with Waller’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, initially gave the Post the impression that Waller was expected to return for a second season. But according to a recent report published by the Post, Waller stated, “I have not made a decision either way” about his future.
Waller, who has struggled with injuries for the past three years of his career, has started making plans for his post-football future by attempting to start a music career in the off-season. “Walking Miracle,” his second album, was just released.
As a Giant, Waller, 31, made 12 appearances in 12 games, 11 of which were starts. For 552 yards and one touchdown, he caught 52 of 74 pass targets; this was a lacklustre performance given how unguardable he appeared in the spring and summer before his injury problems reappeared. He will have a $14 million cap hit if he rejoins the Giants, $10 million of which will be his base salary. The Giants will save $6.707 million and incur $7.376 million in dead money if he retires.
At the conclusion of the season, general manager Joe Schoen told reporters he had no regrets about the trade for Waller, who had consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons with the Raiders in 2019 and 2020. “When he was available, he continued to be a productive member of our offence,” stated Schoen. “If I could, I would trade that way every day of the week.” Of course, Waller’s availability has been an issue, primarily due to hamstring problems that caused him to miss five games in the previous campaign. It’s understandable why Waller might have been at a crossroads in his life given that and his emerging musical career.
The Giants were rumoured to be considering tight ends in the draft and free agency to add to their depth at the position, where they will also have Daniel Bellinger, who is entering his third season, in addition to Waller, even before the news of Waller’s impending decision regarding his future spread.
