Ex-Giant Darren Waller decided he would retire during the middle of a game

Waller, though, did not give the Giants his decision until the following June

Darren Waller made the New York Giants wait … and wait … and wait some more for a final decision on whether or not he would retire before the 2024 season.

With speculation he was considering retiring running rampant the entire offseason, Waller did not give the team his decision to leave the NFL until early June.

Waller, though, has now admitted that he knew fairly early in the 2023 season that he was done as an NFL player. In fact, he made his decision in the middle of a Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills.

“It was in the first quarter of the game,” Waller said on “The Side You Don’t See” podcast. “We were running like this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of like leading through the hole like I’m a fullback. And the play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it like three times and I’m like, ‘What the f–k am I doing with my life? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this sh– anymore.’”

“I’m just like looking at the moon,” Waller said. “It’s like early first quarter, second quarter. Nobody else would even really know that I’m thinking this. But I’m on the sideline like, ‘Yup, I’m going to finish this year to the best of my ability, but I’m definitely done playing after this year.’”

The Giants lost that game 14-9 when a Tyrod Taylor pass from the Buffalo 1-yard line intended for Waller fell incomplete as time expired.

Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards in 12 games in 2023, his lone season with the Giants after being acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick.

Waller has embarked on a music career in his post-football life.

— ‘Kudos’ to the New York Post for the find on this story.