Former Georgia Tech tight end Darren Waller may be heading toward retirement from the NFL but has not made an official announcement.
ESPN's New York Giants reporter Jordan Lannan wrote today, “New York Giants tight end Darren Waller will likely make a decision about his playing future by next week's mandatory minicamp, and people inside and outside the team expect him to retire, multiple sources told ESPN. Those close to him believe he is leaning in that direction.”
More details on Waller's potential retirement from Lannan below.
“Waller said on Instagram Live on Friday that a decision would be made soon. He has been considering retirement since the end of last season and has not participated in any of the team's voluntary offseason training this spring.”
The Giants' mandatory minicamp is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
The Giants have been acting all offseason as if Waller would retire out of necessity, and New York has added to its tight end roster in free agency and the draft, including selecting Penn State's Theo Johnson in the fourth round. Johnson is a talented pass-catching talent who also played some first-team snaps this spring when Waller sat out voluntary workouts.
The Giants also added veteran tight ends Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz to their tight end corps of Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson.
At this point, it would be a pleasant surprise for the Giants if Waller were to decide to return for a 10th professional season. Waller has been busy with his musical career, releasing a new song last week, and in an interview with The Athletic, he admitted to questioning his “commitment” to football, a rare positive sign.
Waller's retirement marks the end of a stellar NFL career, but NFL executives and coaching staff last summer still considered Waller a top-five tight end in the NFL.
“Waller's on-field presence is undeniable. He's elite when he's on the field. But missing 14 games over the past two years has caused him to drop down the rankings.”
But since 2019, he still ranks third among tight ends in receptions (280) and receiving yards (3,394).
Waller can take control at any time — he has 12 games with 100 yards receiving since 2019, second only to Kelce among tight ends — and the Giants acquired him from Las Vegas in March.
“It's hard to blame him for the bad situation with the quarterback change and injuries in Vegas,” an NFC executive said. “He's still second only to Kelce in terms of pass-catching ability.”
One AFC executive said Waller “can still run” and be a high-level player for the Giants, but noted his two best seasons (2019 and 2020) came when Las Vegas put few targets around him and had losing records. He still has something to prove in the eyes of some.”
Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and one touchdown with the New York Giants last season.
Waller was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 and had been a part of the Raiders organization since 2018.
Waller has over 4,100 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns on 350 catches in his career. He's one of the NFL's best receiving threats and will be a consistent thorn in the sidelines on Sundays when healthy.
Waller played at Georgia Tech under coach Paul Johnson from 2012-14, totaling 51 catches for 971 yards and nine touchdowns during that time.
