The Pittsburgh Steelers will place plenty of talented pass catches in 2024. New York Giants’ tight end Darren Waller won’t be one of them. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Waller has informed the team he is retiring.
UPATE (4:09 PM): The Giants have released a statement, acknowledging Waller’s retirement and wishing him well.
Still only 31 until September, Waller’s Giants will play the Steelers in a Week 8 Monday night game at Acrisure Stadium.
Waller’s potential retirement has been rumored for months and is now essentially official. The former Georgia Tech wide receiver switched to tight end early in his NFL career. He began it with the Baltimore Ravens, a sixth round pick in 2015. His time there was brief and production light, catching 12 passes for less than 100 yards across two seasons, though he did record two touchdowns. Waller’s first career reception came against Pittsburgh, a 17-yard grab that set up a game-tying Justin Tucker field goal to send the game into overtime. Baltimore would walk away with a 23-20 win.
Waller was suspended for all over 2017 due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He would later disclose his painkiller addiction that led to hard drugs and heavy alcohol list. But he got clean and stayed sober, signed by the Oakland Raiders off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.
He flourished and put up elite tight end numbers in 2019 and 2020, going over 1,100 yards in each season. His 2020 line of 107 receptions, 1,195 yards and nine touchdowns is one of the best years by a tight end in NFL history.
Since, Waller’s production decreased and he battled injuries. The Raiders signed him to a $51 million extension ahead of the 2022 season only to trade him to the New York Giants ahead of 2023. Last season, he appeared in 12 games, catching 52 balls for 552 yards and one touchdown. Now, he’ll move on with life’s work.
In six career regular season games versus the Steelers, Waller caught 13 passes for 168 yards and zero touchdowns. With his retirement, the Giants will lean on a tight end room consisting of Daniel Bellinger, rookie Theo Johnson, and a slew of other players looking to make the roster. With Pittsburgh boasting a deep tight end room and a sudden surge of former Steelers becoming Giants (Miles Boykin, Allen Robinson, Gunner Olszewski, Elijah Riley, J.C. Hassenauer), perhaps one of them will find their way to East Rutherford.
