New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is contemplating retirement, but he is not yet ready to announce a decision either way.
“I’m undecided at the moment,” Waller said, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “It’s really the idea of signing up for another journey. It’s tough, it’s long, it requires a lot. And if you’re not fully bought into every single thing of the process, it’s going to be tough. I feel like at the end of the day, you’re doing guys a disservice if you’re not all the way in. So those are the kinds of things I’m taking into account.”
Waller is just 31 years old, but he has been ravaged by injuries the last several years.
He played in just 12 games during his debut campaign with the Giants this past season, and in his final two years with the Las Vegas Raiders, he appeared in a grand total of 20 contests.
However, that is not the only reason why Waller is thinking about calling it quits.
“That’s part of the equation,” Waller said. “But that’s not the driving force behind making the decision. It isn’t just frustration from a health standpoint. It’s a lot deeper than that.”
Waller added that while New York has not given him any sort of ultimatum as far as when he needs to make his decision, he understands that he has to let the Giants know what he is doing rather promptly.
“I know the team is getting prepared for a new season, so I’m not trying to have it be this drawn-out thing,” Waller said. “I’ll be deciding pretty soon, but I haven’t made a decision yet.”
The former Pro Bowler has three years and $40 million remaining on his deal and is slated to earn $12 million in 2024, although he says that won’t influence his decision.
Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown in 2023.
The peak of Darren Waller’s career came with the Raiders in 2019 and 2020, when he logged back-to-back seasons of over 1,100 yards. He capped out at 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 receptions in the latter campaign, resulting in his lone Pro Bowl appearance.
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