Darren Waller said during an Instagram Live session on Friday that he was close to making a decision about his football future.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the New York Giants tight end is expected to announce his plans this week ahead of mandatory minicamp and Waller is expected to retire.
The 31-year-old Waller has been considering retirement all offseason, with premature reports in March stating he was hanging up his cleats after eight NFL seasons. Waller said at the time that he “hadn’t made a decision either way.”
Waller did not attend the Giants’ voluntary offseason workouts this spring. The team’s mandatory mini-camp will take place next week from June 11 to 13.
The Giants have been operating this offseason with the expectation that Waller will no longer be in their tight end. Along with Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson, veterans Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz were signed and Penn State’s Theo Johnson was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Waller missed four games in 2023 due to injury and has not been able to stay healthy on a regular basis since the 2020 season, when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 12 games during his first season with the Giants, Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown.
The Giants acquired Waller in a March 2023 trade in exchange for a draft pick. His contract runs through the 2026 season after he signed a $51 million extension in 2022.
Waller has been in the news lately, but not for football reasons.
He recently announced his divorce from Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum after a year of marriage. While Plum wrote in a statement “now I see it’s time to go” and promised to “share my story” at some point in the future, Waller responded through song.
Last week, Waller released a music video about his divorce from Plum for the song “Who Knew (Her Perspective).” In it, Waller appears to recreate scenes in which he argues with Plum at a picnic table, pleads with her as she drives away, and bowls with her.
The video ends with an actress playing Plum hugging Waller on the beach and stabbing him in the back. Waller appears to feign death, falling face down on the sand and not remaining motionless as the water hits his face.
Should retirement be Waller’s final decision, he will have plenty of time to work on future music projects – one of which, he hopes, will go viral for various reasons.
