On Tuesday morning, the New York Giants executed a move that left the football world stunned. Following news of their latest trade, one longtime head coach chimed in with his thoughts on a former Pro-Bowler returning to the NFL.
Back in 2023, the Giants traded for tight end Darren Waller to bolster their offense. Things did not go as planned, as he played one season with the franchise. Due to medical reasons, Waller felt it was in his best interest to retire from the game of football.
Following some time away, the 32-year-old is ready to get his career back on track. Reports emerged this week that he is coming out of retirement, but won't be suiting up for the Giants. New York has decided to trade Waller to the Miami Dolphins for a future draft pick. From there, he will sign a one-year deal with the franchise.
Seeing that this development came seemingly out of nowhere, many were surprised to see Waller making a comeback to the NFL. As he prepares for this new journey, one of his former coaches appears to support his decision.
Among the notable names to join the discourse of the Waller trade online was Jon Gruden. He made a post on X (formerly Twitter) sharing his excitement about the veteran tight end coming back. Gruden also shared a clip of him and Waller singing along to the latter's music.
Aside from football, music has always been one of Waller's passions. Over the past few years, he's put out countless songs across streaming platforms. Per Spotify, the now Dolphins tight end has over 21,000 monthly listeners. Waller and Gruden are singing along to his top hit "Top Play," which has close to 100,000 streams on the platform.
Waller and Gruden built up a strong relationship during their time together with the Las Vegas Raiders. Back in 2020, the organization brought in Gruden to take over head coaching duties. Waller ended up being one of the main benefactors of this move, as he put together a career year in his first season under Gruden. After racking up 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns (both career-highs), he landed the first and only Pro-Bowl selection of his career.
After a year away from the game, Waller will now attempt to provide a boost to the Dolphins' offense.
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