New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has been considering retirement this offseason after dealing with injuries for multiple years dating back to his days with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he has not given the Giants an official decision either way.
“I have to make a decision at some point,” Darren Waller said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “You have to be 100 percent bought in, for the grind. And I have to make sure I am bringing that to the table, or it's a disservice to the guys I am suiting up with. I also want to give the team time, where whichever way I go, they can prepare for next season. So… it's a little bit of a difficult decision, but here we are.”
Waller still is a solid player when on the field, and that was the case for the Giants in 2023. It would be helpful for them to have him as a pass catcher in 2024, even if he misses some games. It would make sense for Waller to treat the NFL Draft that starts on April 25 as some type of deadline for a decision, but he indicated that that is not the case.
“That would be ideal, but I also don't want to put that on myself,” Waller said, via Tafur. “It's gotta be before summer break, for sure.”
Pretty soon, the Giants will have offseason workouts, and Waller does have workout bonuses in his contract, so maybe that will spur a decision. Either way, Waller's decision likely does not change much for the Giants in the long-term, as they are a team that is seemingly focused on building for the future, despite making a big move for Brian Burns this offseason.
Giants added Darren Waller fallback options in free agency
The Giants will likely be able to make due with their tight end room next season regardless of Waller's decision. They have Daniel Bellinger on the roster, who is more of a traditional tight end, capable of blocking in line much better than Waller. Waller is much more of a big body receiver type.
Last year, Daniel Bellinger was relegated to more of a blocking role, but he did show to be a capable receiver in the 2022 season, when the Giants surprisingly made the playoffs. Waller retiring would open up a return to a bigger role in the passing game for Bellinger.
That role in the passing game might be there for Bellinger even if Waller retires as well. New York also added Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz, who are blocking tight ends. The Giants did not have a blocking type of tight end behind Bellinger in 2023. Those two taking those responsibilities can give Bellinger more of a receiving role regardless of Waller's decision.
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