Darren Waller retirement: New York Giants TE remains absent from OTAs | Sporting News

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller remains absent from the team as he contemplates retirement, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters Thursday.

With the Giants commencing organized team activities (OTA) on Monday, the bulk of the offseason work is now underway. Still, Waller remains away from the team. 

The veteran tight end has been away from the team for the majority of the offseason as he contemplates retirement. It’s been a busy offseason, though, as he also divorced from WNBA star Kelsey Plum after a year of marriage.

MORE: Takeaways from Day 2 of Giants OTAs

The Giants have made sure to bring in a contingency plan in the event he does opt to retire.

General manager Joe Schoen drafted Penn State tight end Theo Johnson partly because of Waller’s uncertain future with the team. It wasn’t the sole reason–they liked Johnson plenty. But it definitely played a part.

“We had to take that into account for sure,” Schoen said of Waller’s potential retirement after the draft. “But you know, Theo was the top player on our board. I’m trying to think, if there were any of these guys that we took that weren’t the top player on the board at the time…last night we left, he was sticking out for us.  You always think when you come in the next morning, he’s going to go sooner and may not be there and we’re excited to get Theo.”

The Giants traded for Waller during the 2023 offseason, hoping to bring him in as a key piece of the passing game. It didn’t go quite as well as they’d hoped.

Waller dealt with nagging injuries throughout the campaign, appearing in 12 games (11 starts). He recorded 52 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown as the Giants offense slumped.

With Waller continuing to be out of the mix, the Giants will lean on Daniel Bellinger, Jack Stoll, Chris Manhertz and the aforementioned Johnson.