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On Sunday, Darren Waller made headlines by announcing his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons. The former New York Giants tight end cited personal reasons and health concerns as the reasons for his retirement at the age of 31.
According to Spotrac, Waller racked up a whopping $42,869,700 in career earnings across his pro career. He spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, five years with the Las Vegas Raiders, and one year with the New York Giants.
Waller made $1,578,579 in Baltimore, $29,416,121 in Las Vegas and $11,875,000 during his stint in New York.
Waller signed a mammoth three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Raiders in September 2022, becoming the then-highest-paid tight end in the league. The deal included $22 million in guaranteed salary, of which $19.25 million was fully guaranteed at the time of signing.
Waller was traded to the Giants in March 2023. Following the player's retirement, the New York franchise will save $11.625 million on the transaction, with $2.458 million in dead money hitting this year's cap.
Darren Waller speaks about his retirement
In his retirement video posted on YouTube, Waller shed light on the medical issues that forced him to hang up his cleats.
"I almost just lost my life, and I don't know if I really feel like if I would have died, that I would have felt great about how my life was going," Waller said. "It's kind of forced me into a position to reevaluate, you know? I've made the decision that I'll be retiring from the NFL."
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Darren Waller in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played just two seasons for the Ravens and was suspended for the entire 2017 season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
In November 2018, Waller joined the then-Oakland Raiders and played with them for five seasons. He joined the New York Giants for the 2023 season before retiring from football.
Across his NFL career, Waller recorded 4,124 receiving yards and caught 20 touchdowns on 434 passes. He also earned Pro Bowl honors for his performances in the 2020 season.
