According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Darren Waller has informed the New York Giants of his intentions to retire ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
Waller, who has 8 seasons of NFL duty on his resume, spent only 1 year with the Giants, suiting up for 12 games, and hauling in 52 passes for 552 yards and 1 TD. The 31 year old was under contract through the 2026 campaign after signing a 3 year, $51M extension while he was a member of the Raiders organization.
The announcement doesn’t come entirely as a surprise as Waller hasn’t attended any workouts or OTA’s with New York up until this point. It does however give the Giants clarity moving forward after the former Raven informed The Athletic back in march that he would be making a decision on his future “pretty soon”.
In his place, New York will likely turn to Daniel Bellinger, Jack Still and Theo Johnson to compete for the starting position during training camp later this summer. Bellinger is most polished option of the three, however Johnson tested off the charts at the NFL combine and is highly thought of by New York coming into his rookie campaign.
The Giants made a brief statement on Waller’s decision, noting only that “We have great respect for Darren as a person and player…We wish him nothing but the best.”
It’s unclear what the future holds for the former tight end, who is currently going through a highly publicized divorce from WNBA star Kelsey Plum. However it would appear as though he’ll be turning towards music if his latest release chronicling his troubles with his soon to be ex-wife is any indication.
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