BREAKING: Giants tight end Darren Waller announces his retirement…
According to ESPN, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is set to reveal his retirement plans ahead of next week’s required minicamp on June 11 and 12.
Waller, who has been pondering retirement since February, has been absent from the team’s optional off-season program as he works through the process. While evaluating his options, the Giants have given him the space he requires, which he has been filling by pursuing his music career.
Waller is also going through a divorce from his wife, WNBA player Kelsey Plum, who initially announced the couple’s split on her social media site.
Waller, who was traded from the Raiders for a third-round pick last offseason, had a dismal debut season with the Giants. He was unable to restore the healthy form that allowed him to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Raiders in 2019 and 2020.
The 31-year-old Waller, who appeared unstoppable last spring and summer, was sidelined again by hamstring injuries, limiting him to just 20 games in 2021 and 2022, as well as 12 games with the Giants, when he caught 52 catches for 552 yards and a touchdown.
Although the Giants allowed Waller space, they were braced for the likelihood that the tight end would go. Earlier this year, New York signed free agent tight ends Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz. They also selected Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 draft to play alongside new expected starter Daniel Bellinger this season.
Earlier this year, Waller told reporters at an IcyHot campaign that he intended to make a decision on his football future by mid-June, when teams hold mandatory minicamps. Players who do not attend the mandatory minicamp will be fined unless they are excused by the head coach/general manager.
If Waller retires as expected, the Giants will gain $11.625 million in salary cap space, which should be sufficient to see them through the rest of the spring, training camp, and at least half of the upcoming season.