Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Plaxico Burress Offers Opinion on Why TE Darren Waller Wanted Out from NY Giants

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 10:03 AM ET

With the New York Giants having officially announced the trade of tight end Darren Waller to the Miami Dolphins, former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress offered a theory as to why Waller decided to come out of retirement after just one year.

Waller, who appeared in 12 games in his first and only season in New York, caught 52 balls for 552 yards. Burress opined that the tight end might have been frustrated with how he was deployed in the Giants' offense and simply no longer wanted to play for head coach Brian Daboll.

“He came to the Giants and they had him back there playing fullback,” Burress said on a recent episode of the Up on Game podcast with one-time Giant linebacker Lavar Arrington.

“You’re a tight end; you’re not built psychologically or mentally as a tight end to be running up in the two and four hole, taking on middle linebackers and linemen,” Burress said.

“I think it had more to do with a lot of things that he had going on outside of football, and I don’t think he wanted to be here in New York playing for Brian Daboll. I really, honestly believe that,” he added.

According to Pro Football Focus’s snap counts, Waller, who played 568 snaps for the Giants on offense, lined up as an inline tight end on 221 snaps and as a fullback out of the backfield on just 10. The Giants also had him in the slot on 228 snaps and out wide on 109.

Waller, who dealt with injuries in his season with the Giants, was only targeted 72 times despite being on the field for the Giants for 375 passing game snaps.

Burress also mentioned the Giants’ situation at quarterback as being another likely source of frustration for Waller, noting that the team’s insistence on sticking with Daniel Jones in 2023 “wasn’t a good situation.”

Jones, however, only played in six games due to an early-season neck issue and then eventually a season-ending ACL tear that year.

That being said, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants’ miserable season in 2023, combined with his injuries, a serious medical scare, and the issues he experienced in his personal life, left Waller emotionally drained and in need of a break from the game.

The Giants, who held onto the rights for Waller after he retired by placing him on the reserve/retired list, received a sixth-round draft pick in next year’s draft.

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