Veteran tight end Darren Waller has shocked the New York Giants twice since being acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders — once when he decided to retire in 2024 and then again when he decided to end his retirement last week.
Admittedly frustrated with his role, Waller recently revealed that his decision to call it quits came in Week 6 of the 2024 season, midway through a game against the Buffalo Bills.
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Waller’s decision to unretire also came with a caveat: He wanted to play for the Miami Dolphins and requested a trade.
The Giants and general manager Joe Schoen obliged, shipping Waller to South Beach along with a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick.
So, what led to each of Waller’s abrupt decisions? Former Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Plaxico Burress believes he knows.
“He came to the Giants and they had him back there playing fullback,” Burress said during the Up On Game podcast. “You’re a tight end. You’re not built psychologically or mentally as a tight end to be running up in the two and four hole, taking on middle linebackers and linemen. That’s not how we are built as players.”
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Waller did gripe about playing fullback, so that’s a logical conclusion. However, Burress thinks it was more than that.
“I think it had more to do with a lot of things that he had going on outside of football, and I don’t really think he wanted to be here in New York playing for Brian Daboll. I really, honestly believe that,” he said. “It wasn’t a good situation. Daniel Jones is at quarterback; they weren’t using him as a tight end, which is what they brought him here for.”
At the time of Waller’s retirement, Schoen said he had no regrets over the trade, which cost the Giants a compensatory third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. You have to wonder if he still feels that way now.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Ex-Giant doesn’t think Darren Waller wanted to play for Brian Daboll