Darren Waller is retiring from the NFL after eight seasons, the New York Giants tight end player said.
“The passion [for football] has slowly been fading,” Waller said in a video statement he shared on YouTube.
Waller’s health issues last year “forced” him to reevaluate his life, adding, “I had almost just lost my life, and I don’t know if I really feel like if I would’ve died that I would’ve felt great about how my life was going if I’d died at the time.”
“Eternally grateful for the game of football. I wouldn’t be able to have this conversation or to think things through or be self-reflective if it wasn’t for an opportunity to save my life and go to rehab, which the NFL offered me,” he continued. “They also gave me an opportunity to reestablish myself, to come back into the world and do something productive. Provide an example, be a leader, be a difference-maker in my craft but also in my day-to-day wherever I go.”
After informing the Giants of his intention to retire, the organization said in a statement, “We have great respect for Darren as a person and player. We wish him nothing but the best.”
Waller hinted earlier this year that he would make a decision about his future in the NFL before a mandatory minicamp next week. The football star played for the New York Giants for one year after being traded to the team from the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick in March 2023. Before coming to the Giants, he had spent five seasons with the Raiders. Waller was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round at the 2015 NFL draft.
Watch Waller’s full video statement above.