Not all that long ago, Darren Waller was one of the best tight ends in football.
But he retired before the 2024 season after NFL time with the Ravens, Raiders and Giants. And in a new interview, Waller explained why.
The story goes back to 2023, Waller’s lone season with the Giants.
On one play, Waller lined up at fullback. And although that wasn’t the final play of his NFL career, it was where his mind got made up.
“I knew I was retiring when we played in Buffalo,” Waller said. “It was really controversial because one of the guys held me at the end of the game, [and] they didn’t call it. It was in the first quarter of the game. We were running this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of leading through the hole like I’m a fullback. The play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it like three times, and I’m like, ‘What the f— am I doing? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this s— anymore.'”
Waller waited until after that season to officially announce his retirement.
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He had begun his NFL career as a disappointment with the Ravens, but he turned his life and career around to become a star for the Raiders.
In 2019, he had 90 catches for 1,145 yards. He topped it in 2020 with 107 grabs for 1,196 yards and 9 TDs.
Waller struggled with injuries the following two seasons before departing for the Giants. In New York, he had 52 catches for 552 yards and a touchdown.
Now, Waller is a musician. That likely would’ve happened anyway, but the path toward his future began on that fateful play as a fullback in Giants blue.
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