Out of absolutely nowhere, the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins got on a call this summer and tag-teamed one of the most outrageous trades in recent memory. In a truly shocking development, the G-Men sent retired tight end Darren Waller and a conditional seventh-round pick to South Beach in exchange for a sixth-rounder.
Waller's time in New York was... short-lived. He played 12 games for Big Blue, catching 52 passes for 552 yards and one touchdown. His production was a far cry from the player they thought they were getting when they traded a third-rounder to the Raiders for him. Injuries hampered the 32-year-old, and he admitted he checked out midseason against the Bills — it was the moment he realized he didn't want to play football anymore.
Apparently, the only team capable of pulling him off the couch and back onto the field was Miami. And football fans are anxiously awaiting his return to the field, especially Dolphins fans, who haven’t seen him take the field once since the trade.
Giants fans can only laugh at Dolphins' handling of Darren Waller
According to Miami beat reporter David Furones, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has kept Waller on the sidelines for every practice this year because he doesn't want to bring him back too quickly from retirement. Cue the sound of all of Big Blue Nation laughing out loud.
This is not the week for Darren Waller to return to practice, Mike McDaniel said.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) August 12, 2025
He's not throwing the big pass-catching TE into the fire of joint practices out of retirement.
He hasn't practiced once in five weeks. In one of the strangest strategies of all time, McDaniel is going to get the veteran tight end ready for the regular season by... not letting him get ready. How could anyone expect Waller to magically be at full speed if he can't practice? Why even trade for the guy if you're afraid to have him practice?
Miami’s been leaning on the ‘he’s not ready’ excuse for weeks now. Waller wasn't activated to start camp. He wasn't activated for padded practices. And now with a joint practice against the Lions coming up (a great opportunity to get some simulated game reps), it's more waiting games.
Related: Giants’ stunning Darren Waller trade somehow turns even more lopsided
That has to be infuriating for Dolphins fans, but it's objectively hilarious for Giants fans. This makes the trade look even more ridiculous in hindsight. He's also listed as Miami's TE1 on their unofficial depth chart... how in the world is this man going to be game-ready when his head coach can't even trust him to participate in light practice work?
Maybe McDaniel is using his retirement as a front for something bigger. If there's some undisclosed injury or if he's in horrific shape, this could be a lot of lip service from the HC to save face.
If it feels like this is already falling apart before it ever began, it's because it is. Turns out the only thing more confusing than trading for a retired tight end... is trying to pretend it’ll work.