Tight end Darren Waller has made his decision about retirement.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Waller has informed the Giants that he is retiring from football. Reports last week indicated that the Giants expected Waller to make this decision and that they’d know for sure before the start of this week’s mandatory minicamp.
Waller joined the Giants last year in a trade with the Raiders and had 52 catches for 552 yards and a touchdown. Word that he was contemplating retirement came up early in the offseason and had not taken part in any of the team’s workouts.
Waller began his career with two years in Baltimore and was suspended for the entire 2017 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The Raiders signed him off of Baltimore’s practice squad in 2018 and he broke out with 197 catches for 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns over the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Hamstring injuries limited his availability in his last two years in Las Vegas and with the Giants.
The Giants now have Daniel Bellinger, Jack Stoll, Chris Manhertz, Lawrence Cager, Tyree Jackson, and fourth-round pick Theo Johnson on the roster at tight end.