Report: Giants TE Darren Waller retiring from NFL at 31

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has informed the team he plans to retire, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Waller, 31, had been contemplating retirement and didn’t attend offseason workouts. Now, he’s officially walking away after just one season in New York. Waller was set to earn $10.5 million in 2024 and count $14.1 million against the salary cap. The Giants now save $11.6 million in cap money and take on a $2.5 million hit in dead money.

Waller suited up in 12 games for the Giants, hauling in 52 receptions for 552 yards and a score. He missed five games with a hamstring injury. New York had acquired Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2023 third round pick.

“We have great respect for Darren as a person and player. We wish him nothing but the best,” the Giants said in a statement.

Originally a 2015 sixth round selection of the Baltimore Ravens, Waller spent the bulk of and had the most success in his career with the Raiders. In 2019-20, he caught 197 passes for 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned his first and only Pro Bowl nod in 2020 after tallying a career high 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.

Waller struggled with substance abuse during the early part of his career, suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. The NFL suspended him for the entirety of the 2017 season for a second violation of the policy.