Ex-Giants continue to thrive all around the NFL.
Darren Waller became the latest, catching two touchdown passes during the Dolphins’ 27-21 “Monday Night Football” win over the Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
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tRY IT NOWThey marked Waller’s first touchdowns since Oct. 22, 2023.
Monday was Waller’s first game of the year and with the Dolphins after dealing with a hip injury during the preseason — and first since the 2023-24 season.
The Dolphins opted to go for it on 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line in the second quarter, and Tua Tagovailoa found Waller, who made a leaping grab over Sauce Gardner, in the back of the end zone to give Miami a 10-0 lead.
Then in the third quarter, Waller was wide open for a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to extend the Dolphins’ lead to 17-3.
Waller retired after the 2023-24 season, following a disappointing one-year stint with the Giants.
But he came out of retirement this past offseason and now is back on the field.
Since the Giants still owned his rights, they traded him to the Dolphins along with a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick this past offseason.
The Giants originally acquired Waller ahead of the 2023-24 season from the Raiders for a third-round pick.
Darren Waller catches a touchdown pass during the Dolphins-Jets game on Sept. 29, 2025. AP
Darren Waller celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the Dolphins-Jets game on Sept. 29, 2025. APHe recorded 74 receptions for 552 yards and just one touchdown and also missed time with a hamstring injury during his lone Giants season.
Waller, 33, surpassed 1,100 receiving yards twice in five seasons with the Raiders.
Darren Waller spent one underwhelming season with the Giants. Getty ImagesHe and WNBA star Kelsey Plum divorced last year.
During his one-year hiatus from the NFL, Waller launched a rap career and released multiple singles.
Beyond Waller, Saquon Barkley (Eagles), Xavier McKinney (Packers), Daniel Jones (Colts), Leonard Williams (Seahawks), Julian Love (Seahawks) and Sterling Shepard (Buccaneers) have either thrived or enjoyed career resurgences after leaving the Giants.






