Former tight end Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders had a career that was once full of promise, but it ended in more of a whimper than anything else.
Waller’s journey from a practice squad player on the Baltimore Ravens to a Pro Bowler with the Silver and Black was truly remarkable. Regrettably, it’ll likely be remembered as more of a “what-if” in Raiders lore than a storybook career. In 2020, Waller caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards through the air along with reaching the endzone nine times. He was the focal point of then-head coach Jon Gruden’s offense, the machine that kept the chains moving.
If you recall, Waller’s career never was the same following Gruden’s disgraceful exit. From 2021 through 2023, he just couldn’t stay healthy–in fact, he only started six games in 2022.
What Might’ve Been: Darren Waller, Jon Gruden, and the Raiders
It’s unfortunate that Waller’s decline will forever be linked to Gruden no longer coaching the Raiders, but I digress. Once Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler saw fit to move on from Waller, they shipped him off to the Big Apple. However, things didn’t pan out with the New York Giants. Waller recently shed light into the moment where he realized his career was over.
Apparently, Waller wasn’t too fond of the fullback position.
“I knew I was retiring when we played in Buffalo. It was really controversial because one of the guys held me at the end of the game, and they didn’t call it,” said Waller. “It was in the first quarter of the game. We were running this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of leading through the hole like I’m a fullback.” You would’ve thought Waller was being sent out there to get his head taken off. It’s unfortunate Waller didn’t see it as him contributing to his team’s offense as he went on to explain.
“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*** am I doing? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this s*** anymore,” Waller concluded.
Waller was never the same after 2020. Looking back, you could argue it was the definition of a “one-hit wonder” on the football field.
*Top Photo: Getty Images