Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants: Darren Waller to Make Big 2024 Retirement Decision Soon

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated 3/8/24

There was a time when Darren Waller was one of the most exciting tight ends in the NFL. However, he’s been less than effective for the New York Giants the past season.

While 31 is still a relatively young age for an NFL player, the tight end is already considering retirement from the game.

The team will still want to keep him around, but playing as a professional football player in the NFL takes a lot of time and dedication. Moreover, a competitive player like Waller might not want to play the game when he thinks he’s past his best.

New York Giants’ Darren Waller to decide on career soon

The former Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens TE revealed in an interview with The Athletic, he revealed that the reason for his contemplation is the fact that he’s not fully bought into playing another season of NFL football.

Giants Wire’s John Fennelly writes about his though process as well as the financial repercussions of his decision:

“I’m undecided at the moment,” Waller told 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.”

If Waller calls it quits he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Does Darren Waller still have what it takes to play in the NFL?

Some could argue that Darren Waller is no longer the TE that the New York Giants need. Last season, he only made 74 catches for 552 yards and one touchdown. It is not ideal numbers for a TE who is earning $10.5 million a season.

However, you cannot blame the Giants for swinging at Waller. During the peak of his powers with the Raiders, he completed 197 receptions for 2341 yards and 12 touchdowns on 11.9 yards per catch across 32 regular-season games.

It’s been a while since Waller was that kind of player, so it’s understandable if he wants to call it quits. However, he should give it one more try if he believes he still has it in him to compete at the highest level of the sport he loves.