This offseason, the New York Giants have been operating as if Darren Waller will not be on the team in 2024. The 31-year-old has been contemplating retirement. Waller has been open about questioning his “commitment level” for 2024. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and Adam Schefter reported that Waller is expected to decide by next week’s mandatory mini-camp.
Additionally, Raanan noted that the Giants anticipate that Waller is going to retire. All signs have pointed to Waller not playing for New York in 2024. He did an Instagram Live this past Friday to say that his decision is coming soon. Don’t be shocked when you hear that Waller is calling it a career. Can New York replace his production?
All signs point to Darren Waller retiring this offseason
Darren Waller is expected to make a decision by next week’s minicamp on his playing future and people in and around the team expect he’s going to retire, multiple sources told @AdamSchefter and me. Would be a pleasant surprise if he decided otherwise. https://t.co/KiH645hDJe
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) June 3, 2024
Darren Waller was originally a 6th-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. Early in his career, Waller struggled with addiction and it affected his abilities as a professional. In 2017, he received a one-year suspension from the NFL due to his addiction. This was a wakeup call for Waller who went and received help. Waller has been sober ever since and that helped him gain control of his career again. The one-time Pro Bowler joined the Raiders in 2018 and played his best football with Oakland, now Las Vegas.
His 2020 campaign was the best of his career with 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. Throughout his career, Waller has continuously struggled to stay healthy. In nine seasons, he’s played in every single game just once. That was in 2019 when he played all 16 games. In 2020, the league changed the schedule to 17 games. Last season, Darren Waller played in 12 games for the Giants and made 11 starts. Hamstring injuries limited his play over the last two seasons.
The #Giants are expecting TE Darren Waller to retire from the NFL, per @JordanRaanan. Waller is expected to make a decision before next week. pic.twitter.com/bCafsBnotl
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 3, 2024
New York has been operating under the assumption that Waller was not going to be playing in 2024. That played into their 2024 draft strategy. The team drafted TE Theo Johnson in the 4th round out of Penn State. Additionally, the team drafted TE Daniel Bellinger in 2022. Expect those to be the top two TEs used by New York in 2024. The Giants also added veteran TEs Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz. Darren Waller’s retirement is imminent.
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