You don't see this every day. The New York Giants have traded a player to the Miami Dolphins. But the out-of-conference trade isn't the surprising part. Joe Schoen and the front office literally traded a retired player to another NFL team... for draft compensation. Who could have seen this coming?
Darren Waller made his retirement announcement in June 2024 after a nine-year NFL career that included Pro Bowl honors with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. But despite retiring over a year ago and not suiting up for as much as a practice in 2024, Waller now finds himself on the Dolphins, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network first reported the trade.
According to reports, the Giants are trading Waller to the Dolphins for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick, while New York is throwing in a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick in the trade.
Essentially, we are talking small potatoes here when it comes to draft capital gained for the Giants. But the fact that the Dolphins were willing to trade anything for a retired player who hasn't seen a football field since 2023 is hilarious.
The New York Giants can only be winners in the Darren Waller trade with the Miami Dolphins
Here's the best news: The New York Giants can't lose this trade, because it involved a player who was never going to take a snap for this team again. When Waller retired before his three-year contract with the Giants was over, New York still held his rights. He was not a free agent, which is why Miami had to include a bit of draft capital to execute the trade.
Though the conditions of the pick-swap deal have not been released, the Giants are set to have an extra Day 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for doing absolutely nothing.
Waller was once a tremendous NFL tight end. The receiving threat recorded upwards of 90 receptions and 1,100 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. Sadly, those days are long behind him. Since the end of the 2021 season, Waller has just 940 receiving yards to his name and just four touchdowns on 117 targets during that span.
The Dolphins' trade for Waller not only comes as a surprise, but it also feels like a desperation move after trading Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a blockbuster deal on June 30. Giants fans can thank Darren Waller for his brief service on the way out for helping this team get a draft pick nobody saw coming.
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