When the New York Giants traded for Darren Waller in 2023, he was considered one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
He retired after just 12 games in New York, though, because the Giants made him play like a fullback.
And now? He’s unretiring the join the Miami Dolphins, who just traded Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh … and in part of the odd reversal, the Giants - as they still own Waller’s rights - are involved in the Tuesday trade.
The Dolphins are trading a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Giants for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick.
Good for New York … but what is Waller doing here?
In a new eye-opening interview, Waller claims he quit on the Giants — and football — after head coach Brian Daboll forced him to serve as a lead blocker on three running plays against the Buffalo Bills.
As a tight end with the Raiders, he produced back-to-back 1,100-yard receiving campaigns in 2019-20 and made the Pro Bowl in 2020 with 107 catches for 1,196 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns.
In the first half of a Week 6 game in Buffalo, however, it all ended with the Giants before it really got started.
"I knew I was retiring when we played in Buffalo," Waller said. "It was in the first quarter of the game, we were running like this counter-lead running play, and I'm kind of like leading through the hole like I'm a fullback. And the play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it like three times, and I'm like, 'What the (bleep) am I doing with my life? I'm out here playing fullback.
“I don't even wanna do this (bleep) anymore.'"
In the 14-9 loss to the Bills that dropped the Giants to 1-5, Waller caught five passes for 43 yards on seven targets.
Waller played only 12 games in New York, catching 52 passes for 552 yards and just one touchdown. Citing medical reasons, he retired before last season at age 31.
The Giants wasted a third-round draft pick in exchange for Waller. … but now salvage that, if only a bit.