NFL News: Darren Waller Retires From the NFL By Grant Winsauer

According to Adam Schefter, Darren Waller announced Sunday that he is retiring from the NFL.

Waller was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round, initially as a wide receiver. He only lasted two seasons in Baltimore, then was picked up by the Oakland Raiders and transitioned to tight end.

In his eight-year career, Waller has played for three teams: the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, and, most recently, the New York Giants. According to ESPN.com, he has played in 86 games and had 350 receptions on 501 targets for 4,124 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns.

Most of his stats came from his time with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders because when he was with the Ravens, he was on the practice squad and only played 18 games. He also had a drug problem that forced him out of football for a year.

When Waller was with Oakland/Las Vegas, he accounted for 3469 of his 4124 yards. A part of that is that he had a competent quarterback in Derek Carr.

During his final year in the NFL, he was traded to the New York Giants for a third-round draft pick. In his final year, he caught 52 passes on 74 targets for 552 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN.com.

It wasn’t shocking that Waller didn’t have the best year in terms of stats/production because I don’t think Daniel Jones is the long-term answer at Quarterback for the Giants. 

All Giants fans should wish Waller the best in his retirement, and whatever he plans to do in the future, we all wish him luck. It was good that the Giants had a sense that he would retire and drafted his replacement, Theo Johnson, out of Penn State in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.