Darren Waller’s Surprise Decision To Unretire Sets A Concerning Precedent For The New York Giants

Darren Waller is going to return to the NFL with the Miami Dolphins after a one-year hiatus. The 32-year-old’s decision to unretire sets a bad precedent for the New York Giants and their tight ends.

How does this move reflect on the organization?

Waller, a former sixth-round pick, was one of the best tight ends in the NFL in 2019 and 2020. He caught a combined 197 passes for more than 2,300 yards and 12 touchdowns with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, his production sharply declined as he dealt with injury in 2021 and 2022.

Las Vegas ultimately traded Waller to New York in exchange for a third-round pick. He caught 52 passes for 552 yards and just one touchdown in 12 games during his lone season with the Giants.

At that point, the nine-year NFL veteran chose to retire. It was a little bit of a surprise given his age and contractual agreement but Waller is a unique individual who marches to the beat of his own drummer.

As it would turn out, Darren Waller decided he was done with football because of three specific plays against the Buffalo Bills in 2023. New York essentially used him as a fullback and that was it. He was over it. That was the end of his career…

… until it wasn’t! Tom Pelissero was the first to break the news of Waller’s return on Tuesday.

This seems like a Hail Mary move by the Dolphins but there is not much to lose. Worst case scenario, they end up right back where they started. Best case scenario, Darren Waller returns to his 2020 form. It is worth a shot.

On the flip side, this move sets a concerning precedent for the Giants in the future. Free agent tight ends might look at this sequence of events and choose not to play for New York because of how this all went down. If Waller didn’t want to be used as a fullback and actively chose to retire instead of playing, why would they sign up to do the same? It is much easier to sign elsewhere and avoid the potential headache.

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