THE Miami Dolphins have swung one of the strangest trades in recent memory for a retired player.
Former Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is coming out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins are trading for Darren Waller[/caption]
Waller retired from the NFL last season[/caption]
After making a blockbuster trade on Monday that sent the team’s tight end to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dolphins were in the market for a tight end.
While there were reports of the team showing interest in names like Kyle Pitts from the Atlanta Falcons and Michael Mayer from the Raiders, the team ended up taking an alternate route.
After retiring from the NFL last summer to pursue a rapping career, Waller is unretiring in order to play for the Dolphins.
Waller was previously a standout tight end in the NFL.
He was drafted with a sixth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
He broke out in a big way in 2019, exploding for 1,145 yards with three touchdowns.
Before that season he never had over 100 yards in a season.
Waller followed that season up with a Pro Bowl season in 2020, pulling in 1,196 yards with nine touchdowns.
However, things haven’t gone as well since his two 1,000-yard seasons.
Waller spent two more seasons with the Raiders, going for 665 yards and 338 yards in both of those seasons.
He was traded to the Giants in 2023 and only managed 552 yards with one touchdown.
That was presumed to be Waller’s final season after announcing his retirement, but he’s back in action with the Dolphins now.
The team sent a sixth-round pick to the Giants in return for Waller and a seventh-round pick.
Waller will be 33 years old this season.
NFL fans were completely baffled by the Dolphins’ decision and shared their thoughts on social media.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 – Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
“You could’ve given me 50 guesses who would replace Jonnu Smith and Darren Waller probably isn’t one of them,” one fan said.
“Quite the downgrade from Jonnu,” another fan said.
“Yeah dolphins got some dark magic going on bc wtf,” a third fan said.
“My goodness what a brutal couple of days for Miami,” a fourth fan said.
“He’s awful, didn’t play last year and on the wrong side of 30… What is this??” a fifth fan said.