This sure feels like a bit of a surprise. Come the start of the 2024 season, veteran NY Giants tight end Darren Waller will be back with the G-Men and he'll hope to bounce back in a major way after a disappointing debut campaign in East Rutherford.
However, it looks like Waller was close to not coming back. Matter of fact, he was close to hanging up his cleats for good. According to the New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy and Paul Schwartz, Waller was actually considering retirement. Waller was debating things early on this offseason, but he has instead decided to keep suiting up and Joe Schoen won't be cutting him to create cap space either.
NEWS: Darren Waller spread the word that he was considering retiring from #Giants after the season but now plans to return. And #nygiants will welcome him back, ending speculation about cap casualty.
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) March 1, 2024
Reporting by me and @NYPost_Schwartz https://t.co/Ryb455HH6R
Giants tight end Darren Waller was considering retirement earlier this offseason
"Waller is not walking away. A Giants source confirmed Friday that Waller will play for the team in 2024. He is due to make $10.5 in base salary this season and count $14 million on the salary cap. He will not be a cap casualty, the Post learned. The Giants want him back and hope he can stay healthy and be a more robust contributor to the offense than he was in 2023."Ryan Dunleavy/Paul Schwartz
In the report from the New York Post, it was made clear that Waller was quite upset with how his 2023 went for him. Hoping to stay healthy and avoid the kind of injuries he had suffered while with the Raiders, Waller was only able to play in 12 games, posting 552 yards and just one touchdown.
Waller was brought in to be a big-time contributor for the offense, but he was hampered by a bum hamstring once again. With his cap hit for the 2024 season being $14 million, there had been plenty of speculation that Schoen and Co. could choose to release him and invest that money elsewhere.
We now know that's not going to happen. Waller, 31, will shift his focus to getting his mind and body right for when training camp rolls around. Once Week 1 gets here too, Giants Nation will be optimistic he'll not only be able to stay healthy, but return to his old Pro Bowl form too.