Former Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller confirmed he wants to return to play, but that it will not be with his former team.
The Miami Dolphins' 2025 offseason was a wild one, as the team chose to trade Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers and announced days later they were bringing Darren Waller out of retirement.
Waller made his NFL return to a 2025 Dolphins team that struggled mightily. Though there was a belief he would continue playing and potentially for Miami, he has shut the door on that possibility.
Waller joined the "All the Smoke" podcast and was asked if he plans to play in 2026.
"I'm just waiting on uh see what the fit going to be for me. You know what I'm saying? Uh I know teams have a better idea what their roster is going to look like after the draft. I understand like I'm older player, dealt with some injuries, so I got to kind of, you know, play that game. But I've been training since the day after the Super Bowl Monday through Friday, ready, just locked in. So handling and controlling what I can control, right? But I'm approaching it like I'll be playing this season and then see what happens," Waller said.
Though it may not come as a shock that Waller does not plan to return to Miami, there was some hope that it would be the case. Also, it goes without saying that his injury history and age were likely going to be two factors that would keep him from being able to resign with the Dolphins anyway.
Still, Waller did show some flashes of brilliance in 2025. He began the season on the PUP list due to a hip injury that he says was due to not training properly for his return.
After he finally made his Dolphins debut, he scored four touchdowns and 117 yards in his first three games. All in all, Waller brought in 283 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.
Waller proved that he can be a red zone target for teams, and things may have gone differently had the Dolphins had Malik Willis under center. Regardless, the tight end will now be searching for his next opportunity in the league, but it will not be in South Florida.
Waller also spoke about his thoughts on the current Dolphins rebuild, stating that he was shocked that they blew everything up. He believed they may have wanted to trade running back De'Von Achane, but also stated that it is a player he would certainly build around.
"With the way they’re going, they’re kind of blowing everything up," Waller said. "I thought for a second they were going to trade everybody. They got everybody, but they traded Waddle. I thought they were going to trade [De’Von] Achane for a minute, but I would definitely keep him. I’d build everything around him."