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Darren Waller 'Still Undecided' on NFL Future amid Rumors TE Would Return to Giants

Adam Wells

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has yet to decide on his future and is still contemplating retirement.

Paul Schwartz and Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post spoke to Waller who said he's "still undecided" about his future. Schwartz and Dunleavy noted that "the Giants spoke with Waller's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and based on that conversation were convinced Waller was going to return for a second season with the team."

Schwartz and Dunleavy previously noted Waller told people in the Giants organization he was considering walking away from the sport after a disappointing first year in New York before deciding to return.

Injuries have been piling up for Waller over the past three seasons. He has missed 19 games since the start of the 2021 campaign, including five last season.

Waller was dealing with a minor hamstring injury at the start of the 2023 regular season. He was able to play through it, but his production suffered with 153 receiving yards through the first four games.

It looked like Waller was turning a corner from Weeks 5-7 when he had 227 yards and one touchdown.

A hamstring injury suffered in Week 8 against the New York Jets landed Waller on injured reserve. He sat out five straight games before returning against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 17.

This was the second consecutive season that Waller has dealt with hamstring issues. He missed eight straight games in the middle of the 2022 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders with a strained hamstring.

The Raiders traded Waller to the Giants in March 2023 for a compensatory third-round draft pick.

Waller's injury was one of many things that went wrong for the Giants last season. They finished third in the NFC East with a 6-11 record and had the third-worst offense in the NFL by points per game (15.6).

The Raiders signed Waller to a three-year, $51 million extension in September 2022 that runs through the 2026 season. He is owed $10.5 million in base salary and will count $14.1 million against the cap next season.

Even though the Giants could save $6.7 million against the cap if they were to release Waller, Schwartz and Dunleavy noted the club wants him back and hopes he can be a "more robust contributor" to the offense in 2024.

   

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