The Week 8 Monday Night Football matchup at Acrisure Stadium between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants could look a whole lot different based on an upcoming decision from Giants big-name tight end Darren Wallner.
Waller, who is entering his second season with the Giants, is leaning toward retirement and an official announcement is expected next week, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
“Waller is likely to make a decision by next week’s mandatory minicamp about his playing future and people in and around the team expect that he’s going to retire, multiple sources told ESPN,” Raanan writes for ESPN.com.
Giants TE Darren Waller is likely to make a decision by next week’s mandatory minicamp about his playing future and people in and around the team expect that he’s going to retire, sources told @JordanRaanan.https://t.co/2sFtupW8Tj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 3, 2024
Waller has been contemplating retirement all offseason and has yet to attend or participate in any of the offseason workouts for the Giants under head coach Brian Daboll.
In six career games against the Steelers, Waller has hauled in 13 passes for 168 yards on 18 targets. In those six matchups, Waller’s teams are 4-2 against the Steelers.
After being traded to the Giants ahead of the 2023 season, Waller had 52 receptions for 522 yards and one touchdown last season while playing in just 12 games. He was traded to the Giants for a compensatory 2023 third-round pick on March 14, 2023, which ultimately turned out to be wide receiver Tre Tucker.
Waller dealt with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss five games while on Injured Reserve.
Since the end of the 2023 season Waller has been contemplating retirement, even stating earlier this offseason in an interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft that he wasn’t sure if he was fully committed to the game.
“I have to make a decision at some point,” Waller said to Tafur, according to The Athletic. “You have to be 100 percent bought in, for the grind. And I have to make sure I am bringing that to the table, or it’s a disservice to the guys I am suiting up with. I also want to give the team time, where whichever way I go, they can prepare for next season. So … it’s a little bit of a difficult decision, but here we are.”
