LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After eight seasons, former Las Vegas Raider and current New York Giant Darren Waller is hanging up his cleats.
On Sunday, he posted a nearly 18-minute-long video on his YouTube page and announced that he will be retiring from the National Football League.
While he said he loves playing football, the "passion has slowly been fading."
"The common thought process is how could you leave money like that on the table, which is in excess of $30 million over the next three years. It's a whole lot of money. $750,000 is a lot of money and I understand and respect that," Waller said. "I feel like I've spent most of my life what I should be doing and measuring that in the eyes of what people would expect from me. I've been a people-pleaser my whole life, someone that has struggled with worth, confidence, feeling valuable. You find value in people accepting you in the way you play a game ... It feels like I always end up at the stop of my life looking way better than it feels, if I continue to base my life off of that and my decisions off of that. This opportunity gives me the chance to take back the power in my life."
He said a "very scary" medical situation led him to reevaluate his life.
Waller said he had finished shooting a music video in early November and on the way back home, he started to get a fever and have chills. By the time he got home and got out of his vehicle, he said he was "shaking pretty violently" and was having trouble breathing. He said he called 911 and was hospitalized for three and a half days.
"I got back into my daily life and I'm pretty clear I almost just lost my life," Waller said. "[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 if I died at the time."
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Waller has been open about struggling with addiction and said he's "eternally grateful" for football and the NFL for helping him get sober.
"I wouldn't be able to have this conversation or to think things through or be self-reflective if it wasn't for an opportunity to save my life and go to rehab, which the NFL offered me," Waller said. "They also gave me an opportunity to reestablish myself to come back into the world and do something productive, provide an example, be a leader, be a difference maker in my craft, but also just in the day-to-day wherever I go."
Waller said he's at peace with his decision and knows he has a lot more to offer the world than just football.
"I don't know how much time I've got left on this Earth. I'll be able to be in that bed and be like I'm cool. I've lived a lot of life. I've already lived a lot of life in 31 years," Waller said. "I should have died at least four times, at least, but I'm still here. At this point, it's about becoming who I really am."
The Giants also issued a statement saying "We have great respect for Darren as a person and player. We wish him nothing but the best."
With Waller as a post-June 1 cut, the Giants will get $11.9 million in cap savings this year. Waller made the announcement before the team's mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Waller was traded to the Giants from the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick in March 2023. He spent the previous five seasons with the Raiders.
Waller finished his career with 350 receptions, 4,124 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns in 86 games.
