MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tight end Darren Waller will come out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins, his agents informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The Dolphins will trade a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft to the New York Giants, who owned his rights, in exchange for Waller and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027, sources told Schefter.
Waller, 32, was among the top tight ends in the league during 2019 and 2020, making a total of 197 catches for 2,341 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns with the Las Vegas Raiders. They gave him a three-year contract extension worth $51 million in 2022. However, he was traded to the Giants the next year, and after just one season in New York, he announced his retirement.
According to a source speaking to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Waller shared with friends that he “missed football” and decided to return because of his passion for the sport.
This is the second big trade in two days for Dolphins general manager Chris Grier. On Monday, he traded three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Adding Waller helps fill the gap left by Smith as the team’s main receiving tight end—but this move does carry some risks.
Waller announced his retirement last June, explaining that a health scare he faced in November 2023 helped him gain insight into his life. In a YouTube video, Waller described a “very scary situation” where he had trouble breathing and ended up spending 3½ days in the hospital. During that time, he couldn’t stand, use the bathroom, or feed himself. Waller did not reveal the specific illness he dealt with.
He has been candid about his battles with addiction and how getting sober after a 2017 overdose changed his life for the better. He promised to share his story to assist others facing similar challenges.
In the two seasons after signing his contract extension, Waller recorded a total of 940 receiving yards but missed 21 games over the last three seasons. He is acquainted with Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who worked with the Raiders’ tight ends from 2018 to 2020 during Waller’s best years in the NFL.
