Giants will bring back Darren Waller after tight end reportedly considered retirement

Darren Waller will return for a second season with the New York Giants after reportedly contemplating retirement following a disappointing 2023 campaign.

Waller, 31, missed four games due to injury in 2023 and has been unable to stay healthy on a regular basis since the 2020 NFL season when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders.

In 12 games during his first season with the Giants Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown. His lack of production and continued injury issues had him thinking about hanging up his cleats, according to the New York Post.

It seemed as if the 31-year old tight end might have thought it was time to bid adieu to the NFL. Last year, Waller released his second rap album, "Walking Miracle.''

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With the Giants, Waller could not rise above the dysfunction on the offensive line and the revolving door at quarterback.

The Giants acquired Waller in a March 2023 trade in exchange for a draft pick. His contract runs through the 2026 season after inking a $51 million extension in 2022.

For the 2024 season, Waller will make a base salary of $10.5 million and carry a $14 million salary cap hit, according to OverTheCap.com. (That cap hit jumps to $15.4 million in 2025 and $17.4 million in 2026.) There is no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, which is why he was a candidate to be cut this offseason.

When healthy, Waller has shown he can be a major factor on offense. During his two best NFL seasons with the Raiders — 2019 and 2020 — he recorded a combined 197 receptions, 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. But since 2020, he has missed a total of 19 games due to injury.

Waller vowed in December to use the offseason to find a way to stay on the field more regularly. The Giants will give him that chance in 2024, and hope for the best.