Darren Waller Comes Out of Retirement to Play for the Dolphins
Tight end Darren Waller has decided to come out of retirement to join the Miami Dolphins, according to his agents.
The Dolphins will finalize a trade with the New York Giants, who held his rights, sending a sixth-round pick in 2026 in exchange for Waller and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027.
Waller, 32, was one of the league’s best tight ends in 2019 and 2020, accumulating 197 receptions, 2,341 yards, and 12 touchdowns with the Las Vegas Raiders. This earned him a three-year, $51 million contract extension in 2022. However, he was traded to the Giants the following year, and announced his retirement after a single season in New York.
Waller expressed to his close circle that he missed football and that he is returning for the love of the game.
This move represents the second significant trade in a few days for Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, who previously sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The addition of Waller covers the need left by Smith as the team’s primary pass catcher at the tight end position, although it implies certain risks.
Waller announced his retirement last June, mentioning that a health problem in November 2023 gave him a new perspective on his life. In a video posted on YouTube, Waller described a “very frightening situation” in which he had difficulty breathing and spent 3 and a half days in the hospital, unable to stand, go to the bathroom, or feed himself. Waller did not reveal the exact nature of the illness he faced.
Waller has publicly shared his struggles with addiction, his sobriety, and how rehabilitation after an overdose in 2017 helped him change his life. He has vowed to use his story to help others.
Waller recorded a total of 940 receiving yards in the two seasons following the signing of his extension and missed 21 games in the last three seasons. He has a familiarity with the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, Frank Smith, who was the Raiders’ tight ends coach from 2018 to 2020, during Waller’s best seasons in the NFL.
