Giants tight end Darren Waller remains “undecided” about whether he’ll play this season or retire, GM Joe Schoen said on Monday.
Earlier this month, Waller opened up on why he’s contemplating retirement, with the 31-year-old noting that his decision would come soon.
“I’m undecided at the moment,” Waller told The Athletic. “It’s really the idea of signing up for another journey. It’s tough, it’s long, it requires a lot. And if you’re not fully bought into every single thing of the process, it’s going to be tough. I feel like at the end of the day, you’re doing guys a disservice if you’re not all the way in. So those are the kinds of things I’m taking into account.”
SNY’s Connor Hughes reported earlier this offseason that the Giants planned to keep Waller instead of releasing him.
Waller had an injury-riddled first season with the Giants in 2023-24, with his hamstring issues limiting him to just 12 games.
He was relatively productive when on the field — reeling in 52 catches for 552 yards — but had just one touchdown.
With the Giants hashing out what their strategy will be in free agency and April’s draft, Waller’s decision will bring some clarity to the organization.
“They haven’t put an ultimatum on me,” Waller said. “I have a general awareness of pretty soon they may want to make a decision in the draft or things like that. I’m taking all of that into account. Me not being fully committed, they can make decisions as if I won’t be there because they don’t have the luxury just to sit around and wait when they could be making moves and decisions.”
Waller added that his decision will not be based on the money he’s owed, and that he is not questioning his ability to perform on the field.
He has three years remaining on the extension he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, with a cap hit of $14.08 million this coming season, $15.4 million in 2025, and $17.4 million in 2026.
Per The Athletic, if Waller retires before this season, the Giants…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/giants-darren-waller-still-undecided-193059948.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-03-25 19:30:59
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