Playing in the NFL isn’t something you can do consistently without a full-time commitment. The wear and tear of the game is something that New York Giants tight end Darren Waller knows all too well. The sacrifices it takes to get ready for and then make it through a season is a daunting task and something that Waller seems to be pondering at this time.
With the new league year set to begin, the 2024 NFL season will soon arrive. However, will that feature Waller on the field making plays? That’s something he’s trying to decide as he contemplates stepping away from the game.
Darren Waller Debating Retirement
While speaking with Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Waller was candid about his uncertainty about committing to the 2024 season.
“I’m undecided at the moment,” Waller told Duggan. “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.”
Waller knows the toll a season takes on his body, and the fact he hasn’t been able to complete a full season since 2020 is a part of the decision-making process that he’s going through now. Even if it isn’t the main focal point, it’s certainly part of the equation.
“(The injury history) is part of the equation,” Waller said. “But that’s not the driving force behind making the decision. It isn’t just frustration from a health standpoint. It’s a lot deeper than that.”
As free agency creeps under a week before its start, Waller states that the Giants aren’t pressuring him for a decision. However, he knows they do hope for one soon so they can plan for the season.
“I know the team is getting prepared for a new season, so I’m not trying to have it be this drawn-out thing,” Waller said. “I’ll be deciding pretty soon, but I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m in the middle. It could go either direction.
“It’s just putting everything down and being like, ‘What are the real pros and cons of going on this journey again, and what do I really want out of it?’ I don’t feel like I’ve arrived at the point where it’s like the concrete answer that I can be like, ‘All right, that’s my truth.'”
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The NFL world, and certainly the Giants themselves, await a decision from Waller, with the difference being them having a productive tight end on the field or a new positional need to be filled.
Either way, it looks as if Waller is not taking the decision lightly, and we can expect a resolution sometime soon.
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