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Darren Waller is putting his pads back on.
Waller is coming out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins, who made a trade with the New York Giants to get him in the building before training camp, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
The Giants held Waller’s rights after he announced his retirement after one season in New York in 2023. They received a 2026 sixth-round pick for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round selection in the NFL Draft, according to ESPN.
Waller’s return from retirement happened one day after the Dolphins sent their Pro Bowl tight end from 2024, Jonnu Smith, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a deal involving Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Waller figures to be the starter, though he’ll have to compete with Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown for that role in training camp.
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People close to Waller said he “missed football,” according to ESPN, and he wanted to get back into the game if a team wanted him.
The 32-year-old was one of the best tight ends in the NFL with 2,341 receiving yards on 197 receptions with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019 and 2020 combined. He had 12 touchdowns during that span.
The Raiders gave Waller a three-year extension worth $51 million, but he was traded to the Giants after the 2022 season.
Things didn’t pan out in New York, where he caught 52 passes for 552 yards with just one touchdown in a lost 2023 campaign for Big Blue.
Waller eventually announced he was retiring after a health scare in November 2023.
In a YouTube video, Waller revealed he struggled to breathe and spent 3½ days in a hospital unable to stand up, use the bathroom or even feed himself. While he didn’t disclose the diagnosis doctors gave him for those ailments, he said the “very scary situation” changed his mindset, and he decided to retire with a focus on his music career.
Waller has also been very public about his battles with addiction, most notably, a 2017 overdose that turned his life around for the better. He has since used his own experience with addiction and rehabilitation to help others.
With the Dolphins, Waller hopes to be a force on offense. He will be teaming up with Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and other electric players on that side of the ball.
Waller will also reunite with his former Raiders tight ends coach, Frank Smith, who worked with him from 2018-20.
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