Giants insiders expecting retirement for tight end Darren Waller ahead of 10th season

The New York Giants may begin mandatory minicamp next week without veteran tight end Darren Waller. The former sixth-round draft pick is entering his 10th season in the league, but according to insiders around the team, he may have already played his last game. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared a report from Jordan Raanan that many are expecting Waller to retire instead of playing the 2024 season.

Waller is coming off of a 12-game, 552-yard first season with the New York Giants. He has three more years left on his contract after signing a three-year extension with Las Vegas for a whopping $51 million.

At the time, his deal made him the highest-paid tight end in the league. Waller was a sixth-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 out of Georgia Tech. He stayed with the Ravens for two seasons before going to the Raiders for five seasons.

In his first nine seasons in the league, which includes the 2017 season where he did not play due to suspension, he’s tallied 350 catches in 89 games with 4,124 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. In 2017, the league suspended him for using performance-enhancing drugs, as he also struggled with addiction. He returned in 2018 but played in just four games.

Waller posted his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2019 with the Raiders, and did it again in 2020. The Georgia native earned a Pro Bowl nod for his performance in 2020.

Waller releases breakup song after filing for divorce

Last week, one month after filing for divorce from WNBA star Kelsey Plum, Waller released a song about his breakup – complete with a music video. In the song, the former Raiders star laments the state of his relationship in a style best described as Post Malone-esque. Towards the end of the music video, Waller is stabbed in the back by a brunette woman who leaves him bleeding on a beach.

The former Washington Huskies basketball star and former Raiders standout dated for a year before tying the knot in March of 2023. The couple filed for divorce in April with Plum posting on social media that she plans to, at some point, tell her side of the story.

Las Vegas traded Waller to the New York Giants last March. The couple originally met in Sin City as Plum starred at guard for the two-time WNBA Champions, the Las Vegas Aces, and Waller caught passes for the Raiders.

“I’m devastated. I walked through fire for that man, but I now see it’s time to go,” Plum’s statement read. “God has given me an incredible life, and I’m truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends.

“One day I’ll share my story, today is not that day. Thank you for the grace to process my pain, to forgive and move forward. Today and everyday I will continue to choose joy. Much love KP”

Plum also ended her message with “Philippians 1:6.” The bible verse reads, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Plum began the WNBA season with the Aces last month. She is also currently training with Team USA for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. She’s currently averaging 18.6 points per game with 1.6 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game.