This is not what anyone envisioned for NY Giants tight end Darren Waller this offseason. After a rough first year with Big Blue, the hope was that Waller would work his tail off during the spring and summer to get his body right for what would end up being a massive 2024 campaign.
Instead, he may not even take the field. Waller spoke with The Athletic's Dan Duggan and retirement is definitely on the table for him. Waller has been battling hamstring injuries in recent years and it plagued his 2023. From the looks of things, the growing frustration from his debut NFC East season could lead to hanging up his cleats altogether.
Spoke to Darren Waller about what he’s weighing as he contemplates retirement, a timeline for his decision and more: https://t.co/i1iG98y27y pic.twitter.com/c3WuG1sKW5
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) March 7, 2024
Darren Waller being undecided on his future is rough news for the NY Giants
"I'm undecided at the moment. It's really the idea of signing up for another journey. It's tough, it's long, it requires a lot. And if you're not fully bought into every single thing of the process, it's going to be tough. I feel like at the end of the day, you're doing guys a disservice if you're not all the way in. So those are the kinds of things I'm taking into account. "Darren Waller told Dan Duggan
There's a lot to chew on from that quote from Waller, but it looks like the veteran tight end is quite torn. Having said that, it's got to be a concern regardless if he comes back or not that Waller doesn't seem fully bought in to playing.
We can't blame him for being frustrated with the way injuries have kept him off the field, but Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are looking for guys who are all-in on getting the G-Men back on top of the NFC East. Waller is a beast when healthy, but if he's feeling this uneasy about playing again, the best decision could be for him to walk away.
Right after the G-Men traded for Waller, Giants fans were fired up over the news, especially since it only took a third-round pick to land him. Everyone was viewing this as a Kadarius Toney for Waller deal, as NY received a third-rounder and sixth-rounder from the Chiefs for KT.
Now, though, it's feeling like the Waller deal could end up being a swing and a miss for Schoen. Waller was held to just one touchdown in '23, adding 52 receptions for 552 yards. In his 12 games played, he was nowhere near his old Pro Bowl self. The future is unknown for Waller, but if he does retire, he'll unfortunately go down as a Giants bust.