Giants react to former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller's retirement

According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Waller informed the Giants of his decision earlier in the day. The 31-year-old spent only one season in New York, but the team has been preparing for this possibility for a while now.

There's been ongoing communication between the two sides. Recent reports indicated that an agreement was in place that Waller would ultimately decide one way or the other if he was coming back before the Giants mandatory minicamp, which begins on June 11.

Likewise, the team made moves in the offseason to beef up its depth at tight end. The Giants inked Jack Stoll in free agency and selected Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, who will join the returning Daniel Bellinger, entering his third season with New York.

Waller's NFL career has taken a decided downturn in recent years. Since recording back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns (2019 and 2020) with the Las Vegas Raiders, he's managed only 1,605 receiving yards over the past three seasons. Meanwhile, in his first and only season with the Giants, the former standout posted 52 catches for 552 yards and only one touchdown, his fewest in a season since 2018.

Lately, Waller has seemingly embraced his ventures off the field. He recently released a controversial music video detailing his divorce from WNBA star Kelsey Plum.

Waller's departure creates a hole for the Giants, but it also offers them some flexibility heading into the 2024 campaign. A post-June 1 cut, Waller will open up $11.6 million in cap space for the team.