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McAfee ecstatic about Steelers trading for Jalen Ramsey (2:19)
Pat McAfee reacts to the blockbuster deal sending Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers with Minkah Fitzpatrick returning to Dolphins. (2:19)
Marcel Louis-JacquesJul 1, 2025, 11:31 AM ET
- Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Tight end Darren Waller will come out of retirement to join the Miami Dolphins, his agents told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The Dolphins will trade a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New York Giants, who held his rights, in exchange for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick, sources told Schefter.
Waller, 32, was one of the league's best tight ends in 2019 and 2020, recording a combined 197 receptions for 2,341 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders, who rewarded him with a three-year, $51 million extension in 2022. However, they traded him to the Giants the following year, and Waller announced his retirement after just one season in New York.
This marks the second major trade in as many days for Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, who sent three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Adding Waller fills a need vacated by Smith as the team's primary pass-catching tight end -- but there is risk involved with the move.
Waller announced his retirement last June, saying that a health scare he experienced in November 2023 gave him clarity about his life. In a video posted to YouTube, Waller detailed a "very scary situation" during which he struggled to breathe and ultimately spent 3½ days in the hospital unable to stand up, use the bathroom or feed himself. Waller didn't disclose the exact nature of the illness he battled.
Waller has been open about his struggles with addiction, his sobriety and how rehab following a 2017 overdose helped turn around his life. He has vowed to use his story to help others.
Waller recorded a combined 940 receiving yards in the two seasons after signing his extension and missed 21 games over his past three seasons. He is familiar with Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who coached the Raiders' tight ends from 2018 to 2020 -- Waller's best NFL seasons.
ESPN's Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.
