With the New York Giants deep into draft analysis, one of their lingering decisions revolves around veteran tight and Darren Waller.
On Thursday, general manager Joe Schoen spoke about Waller and his indecision regarding retirement. This past season, the veteran injury-prone offensive weapon caught 52 passes across 72 targets and enjoyed a 72.2% reception rate for 552 yards and just one touchdown.
The Giants sent a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for Waller last off-season, adding a versatile weapon when healthy.
The Giants Could Lose Darren Waller to Retirement
Unfortunately, an entire NFL season’s physical and grueling nature forces Waller to reconsider his future in the league.
The Giants are still trying to rebuild and don’t have much to fight for in the near term, but Waller stands to lose a substantial amount of money if he ops to depart. In fact, the Giants would save $6.7 million if he retires today, the same number if they cut him, which seems unlikely.
However, he’s on the books for $14.1 million, a noteworthy amount of money that is hampering their ability to bring in further free agents. Nonetheless, the Giants considered that money their draft class allocation or extra cash they could bring into the 2024 season in case of emergency.
Schoen stated on Thursday that the team is giving Waller space to make a decision on his own time and that there is no rush despite voluntary camp starting.
Waller is supposed to be a key veteran on the team, but the Giants don’t seem too worried about him leaving the offense and disrupting their plans in any way. They have a strategy in place, and his lack of decisiveness doesn’t impact the path much.