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The Miami Dolphins are reportedly finalizing a trade with the New York Giants to acquire former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who is ending his retirement, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Tuesday (July 1).
Waller, who announced his sudden retirement last summer, was reportedly acquired by the Dolphins one day after tight end Jonnu Smith was included in the blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers centered around cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Giants will reportedly receive a 2026 sixth-round pick and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick as part of the deal.
"Surprise! The #Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the #Giants for former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement to play in Miami, per sources. A fascinating twist for Waller, who retired last summer, and a new weapon for a team that just traded Jonnu Smith," Pelissero wrote on his X account. "The #Giants get a 2026 sixth-round pick from Miami for Darren Waller and a conditinal 2027 seventh-rounder, per source. Essentially a free pick for New York for a player who was retired, and a low-risk flier for Miami on a player who at his peak was one of the NFL’s best."
Waller was selected by the Baltimore Ravens at No. 204 overall in the sixth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft and was initially suspended for four games during the 2016 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy before being given a one-year suspension without pay in 2017. The former Georgia Tech standout was reinstated in 2018 and signed by the then-Oakland Raiders off the Ravens' practice squad later in the season.
Waller's past battle with substance abuse was a featured topic on the HBO docuseries Hard Knocks chronicling the Raiders' training camp in 2019, which was followed by a breakout season that same year and a Pro Bowl campaign in 2020, recording a career-best 107 receptions, 1,196 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Waller was traded to the Giants for a compensatory 2023 third-round pick that the team previously acquired when it traded wide receiver Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 31-year-old recorded 52 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown in 2023.