Last week, the football world was left in awe following a shocking career decision from Darren Waller. As he prepares for this next chapter, one former player gave his thoughts on the former Pro Bowler departing from the New York Giants.
Following a pair of down years with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Giants rolled the dice on trading for Waller back in 2023. After one season with the franchise, he decided to walk away from football due to health reasons. The 32-year-old has since gone through a change of heart and is coming out of retirement. New York was able to benefit somewhat from the move, acquiring draft compensation from the Miami Dolphins for Waller.
While speaking about the Waller trade on the Up On Game podcast, Plaxico Burress did not hold back with his true thoughts. He cited multiple reasons for how things unfolded, with one of the biggest reasons being that the veteran tight end didn't want to play for Brian Daboll.
"He came to the Giants and they had him back there playing fullback," Burress said. "You're a tight end. You're not built psychologically or mentally as a tight end to be running up in the two and four hole, taking on middle linebackers and linemen. That's not how we are built as players. I think it had more to do with a lot of things that he had going on outside of football, and I don't really think he wanted to be here in New York playing for Brian Daboll. I really, honestly believe that. It wasn't a good situation. Daniel Jones is at quarterback; they weren't using him as a tight end, which is what they brought him here for."
During his lone season with the Giants, Waller totaled 552 yards and one touchdown across 12 appearances. Now, after a year away from the game, he'll attempt a resurgence with the Dolphins.
As for the Giants, they've potentially found a new option at tight end. Though he suffered a season-ending injury after 12 games, Theo Johnson showed promising flashes as a rookie. With him being healthy and New York making upgrades at quarterback, he should see an increase in production in year two.
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