Dolphins pull off another stunner, trading for once-retired TE Darren Waller

David Furones, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jul 1, 2025

Published in Football

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The Miami Dolphins swiftly answered the question of who will be their next pass-catching tight end to fill the void left behind from trading Jonnu Smith.

In a next-day deal, the Dolphins traded with the New York Giants on Tuesday for retired tight end Darren Waller, who will return to the league to play in Miami.

According to multiple sources, the Dolphins are trading a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the Giants for a 2027 seventh-rounder and Waller, who turns 33 in September.

According to Waller’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, his new contract in Miami can be worth up to $5 million with incentives for the one year.

On Monday, the Dolphins traded Smith, who was their lone Pro Bowl selection from 2024, and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a move that brought safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami, while also including a swap of late 2027 draft picks.

Smith was shipped out as he was seeking a new contract after a 2024 season in which he set franchise records at the position with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Dolphins were interested in bringing in a capable and economical tight end to possibly replace that production and take some of the pressure in the passing game off wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

While Smith put up his career-best numbers in his one season in Miami in 2024, Waller was out of the league after a decision last summer to retire.

In June of 2024, Waller described health concerns experienced in November 2023 as a “very scary situation.” He said he struggled to breathe and spent 3 1/2 days in the hospital unable to stand up, use the restroom or feed himself but didn’t disclose the exact illness.

While the Giants still had his contract rights, Waller expressed interest to the team in coming out of retirement if he could do it in Miami, according to the NFL Network, which first broke the news Tuesday morning. He gets his wish on an incentive-laden deal.

Waller once rose to stardom from early struggles in the league as a sixth-round pick in 2015. He peaked in 2020 for the Las Vegas Raiders with 107 receptions for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns, making the Pro Bowl that year.

The big-bodied 6-feet-6 red-zone threat never returned to that level of production but was still a viable option in 2023 after he was traded to the Giants from the Raiders.

Hamstring injuries, along with the health scare he later revealed, cut down his playing time, but he managed 52 receptions for 552 yards and a touchdown in 12 games in his last season before taking 2024 off.

The Dolphins’ trade now reunites Waller with offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who was Raiders tight ends coach from 2018 through 2020, helping push Waller along the rise of his career.

On the side, Waller has a rap career, releasing several songs and music videos.

With Waller in and Smith out, the Dolphins also have Julian Hill, who started 12 games in his second season, and fellow in-line blocking tight end Pharaoh Brown, who is more experienced, who enters his eighth NFL season.

The team also had Tanner Conner, who made the roster as an undrafted rookie in 2022, and excelled through organized team activities and mandatory minicamp in recent months. Hayden Rucci, an undrafted rookie last season, and Jalin Conyers, who went undrafted this offseason, are also vying for a roster spot.