Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants tight end Darren Waller (12) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
(East Rutherford, NJ) – What a difference a few months makes. Or in this case, nearly 10 months.
It was back in mid-March of 2023 – Daniel Jones had just inked a contract extension – and Giants GM Joe Schoen had swung a trade for who he hoped would be New York top’s pass catcher. For a third round pick – one acquired in an earlier trade with the Kansas City Chiefs – the Giants acquired Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. For various reasons, largely health related, the 2023 season did not go as planned – for Waller and for the team as a whole.
Of course, injury concerns were one of the reason’s Waller was available in the first place. Both the 2021 and 2022 seasons saw Waller spend plenty of time in the trainer’s room. He looked good in training camp, and inspired dreams of a well-functioning Giants’ offense, but it wasn’t meant to be. Still, Schoen has no regrets surrounding what’s been one of his key moves as GM to date: “Yeah, I would do it again. I would do it again with Waller. I mean, you guys saw him this spring, you saw him in the summer. Unfortunately, he had the injury before the Dallas game. Again, he was still a productive part of our offense when available. I would do that again every day of the week.”
During the Week 8 loss to the Jets, Waller suffered a significant hamstring strain and ultimately missed five straight games. He ultimately played 12 games and finished with 52 catches – good enough for second on the team. Waller posted 552 yards receiving and scored just 1 TD. His track record with the Raiders was far more productive: Waller secured 197 catches for 12 TDs over the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
Looking ahead to next season, Waller is due to count $14.4 million against the cap. His contract had been restructured after the trade. If the Giants choose to cut him, he’s cost $7.8 million in dead money, saving $6.9 million on the salary cap.
Schoen sounds like he envisions Waller at TE again next season, saying Monday: “We’ll have those conversations with the staff, but the expectation is he’ll be back.”
