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After nine seasons with three different teams, Darren Waller decided to leave the NFL after the 2023 season.
He played 12 games with the New York Giants, the final year of his NFL career. Last June, Waller admitted in a video posted on his YouTube channel that his “passion” for football faded. ”
“I decided to retire from football,” he wrote on Instagram. “To God: What a journey, thank you. We took it farther than I thought, and thank you so much for all the PPLs I was able to connect and create memories along the way. We still have more lives to live. Love you all. Peace. Peace.”
Waller was 31 when he decided to quit.
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Darren Waller of the New York Giants runs before the game against the Seattle Seahawks of the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford on October 2, 2023. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
When Waller reached the year mark of NFL retirement, the previous game shared some insight that led to his surprising decision. Waller said it took several games for the only season with the Giants to realize he was ready to retire.
Darren Waller reflects on divorce and retirement, saying he must “look in the mirror”
“I know I was retired while playing in Buffalo,” Waller said in a recent appearance on the “One Side You Can't See” podcast. “It's a game that's really controversial because one of them ends up holding me in and they don't call it.
Darren Waller of the New York Giants (Sarah Steele/Getty Images)
“That was in the first quarter of the race. We were running this counter-leading running race, and I was kind of like in the hole, like I was a defender, and the race was working properly. But I was sitting on the sideline like three runs, and I like F-What am I doing here?
That moment had a lasting impact on Waller, who said he sat on the sidelines and stared at the sky.
New York Giants Darren Waller in the Tunnel in the Game of the Philadelphia Eagles on December 25, 2023 in the Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline/Today Sports)
“I’m just looking at the moon – it’s Q1 (or Q2) – and no one else really knows I’m thinking about it, but I’m off the court, like ‘yes.
The bill beat the Giants in the game to celebrate a 14-9 victory.
Waller ended the game with the Giants with a short term, receiving yards and a touchdown. He had a turbulent season that included brief hospitalizations. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8, which caused him to miss several games.
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Far from the fields, 2024 also marks the end of Waller's marriage to WNBA star Kelsey Plum. The two filed for divorce in Las Vegas in April 2024.
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