Sports

These Three Specific Plays Led Pro Bowl Tight End Darren Waller To Suddenly Retire From The NFL

by Last Updated
Darren Waller Retire NFL Three Plays Buffalo Bills
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Darren Waller is a classic case of “what could’ve been?” The former NFL tight end had two 1,000-yard+ seasons right in the middle of his nine-year career but often struggled to stay on the field and never returned to form.

He decided to retire from football after three specific plays in 2023.

Waller, 32, was drafted into the league out by the Ravens with the 204th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. His first three years were less than ideal. Not only did he catch just 12 passes, he was suspended for four games in 2016 and the entire year in 2017 for violating the substance-abuse policy.

Baltimore let him go to waivers upon his return and that led him to Oakland. The Raiders picked him up in 2018 but Waller played just four games that year.

2019 and 2020 told a very different story. Darren Waller caught at least 90 passes in each individual season and recorded more than 2,300 combined receiving yards. He was the best tight end in the NFL.

However, Waller never got back to that level.

  • 2021 — Las Vegas Raiders — 11 games, 55 catches, 665 yards
  • 2022 — Las Vegas Raiders — 9 games, 28 catches, 388 yards
  • 2023 — New York Giants — 12 games, 52 catches, 552 yards

The nine-year veteran announced his retirement from football on June 9, 2024. He says he knew he was done during a game in Buffalo in 2023. It was actually the only game he ever played in upstate New York!

Giants head coach Brian Daboll essentially used him as a fullback and that was it. Nobody knew but Waller decided on the bench to retire right then and there!

Here are the three plays that led to the retirement of Darren Waller:

And with that, it was over. One of the most impressive tight ends in league history decided to hang up his cleats after a rollercoaster career.