Darren Waller to retire after one season with Giants

Darren Waller is set to retire after one season with the Giants, ending months of speculation about the star tight end’s future.

Waller has informed the Giants of his decision, NFL Media reported Sunday.

“We have great respect for Darren as a person and player,” the Giants said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best.”

Waller, 31, recorded 52 receptions for 552 yards and a touchdown in 12 games last season with the Giants, who acquired him for a third-round pick in a March 2023 trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Waller missed five games in 2023 with a hamstring injury.

The development came two days before the Giants were set to begin mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Waller, who would have counted $14.08 million against the cap this season, had missed the Giants’ voluntary offseason programs.

With Waller’s status up in the air, the Giants drafted Theo Johnson out of Penn State in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft. Johnson joins a tight-end room that also includes Daniel Bellinger and Jack Stoll.

Waller finishes with 350 receptions, 4,124 yards and 20 touchdowns over eight NFL seasons with the Ravens, Raiders and Giants. He made the Pro Bowl with the Raiders in 2020, when he set career highs with 107 catches, 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.