MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tight finish Darren Waller will come out of retirement to hitch the Miami Dolphins, his brokers advised ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The Dolphins traded a 2026 sixth-round decide to the New York Giants, who held his rights, in alternate for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round decide.
Waller, 32, was one of many league’s greatest tight ends in 2019 and 2020, recording a mixed 197 receptions for two,341 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders, who rewarded him with a three-year, $51 million extension in 2022. Nevertheless, they traded him to the Giants the next yr, and Waller introduced his retirement after only one season in New York.
Waller advised folks near him that he “missed soccer” and was returning for the love of the sport, a supply advised ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
This marks the second main commerce in as many days for Dolphins normal supervisor Chris Grier, who despatched three-time All-Professional cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight finish Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday for security Minkah Fitzpatrick. Including Waller fills a necessity vacated by Smith because the staff’s main pass-catching tight finish — however there may be threat concerned with the transfer.
Waller introduced his retirement final June, saying {that a} well being scare he skilled in November 2023 gave him readability about his life. In a video posted to YouTube, Waller detailed a “very scary state of affairs” throughout which he struggled to breathe and in the end spent 3½ days within the hospital unable to face up, use the lavatory or feed himself. Waller did not disclose the precise nature of the sickness he battled.
Waller has been open about his struggles with dependancy, his sobriety and the way rehab following a 2017 overdose helped flip round his life. He has vowed to make use of his story to assist others.
Waller recorded a mixed 940 receiving yards within the two seasons after signing his extension and missed 21 video games over his previous three seasons. He’s accustomed to Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who coached the Raiders’ tight ends from 2018 to 2020 — Waller’s greatest NFL seasons.
