The Carolina Panthers have a new TE: Darren Waller.
Darren Waller signed his contract with the Carolina Panthers on Monday (8/17). Nine years ago, on August 12, Waller made a commitment to get sober, changing his life on and off the field in the best ways.
Last week, on August 12, Waller got a phone call he'd been waiting months for: his agent told him the Panthers wanted to sign him. He didn't have to think about it for even a moment and agreed to a deal right away.
And when he noticed the date, it felt like a higher power had stepped in.
"It was crazy because it's also nine years of sobriety for me. So it's like the fact that those two coincided on that day was just something that you can't really wrap your mind around as human beings," Waller said, via Panthers.com. "We call it God, you know, so I think it's just something greater at work, but definitely a lot of gratitude in that day. It was just like a double celebration."
Waller appeared in nine games for the Miami Dolphins last season. He put up 24 catches for 283 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
A one-time Pro Bowler, Waller has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Dolphins. He enters this season with 374 catches for 4,407 receiving yards and 26 receiving touchdowns in 95 games.
"I hope that they can still see like, I mean, I feel as good as I've felt in years right now," Waller said. "I feel like the training that I put in this offseason has allowed me to be — from an explosive speed, movement standpoint, where I was when people remember me at the peak of my career. And I think my scoring potential was unlocked last year in ways that hadn't been before. So combine those two, you still get a pretty decent product out of me."
The Panthers open the 2026 season at home against the Chicago Bears. It will be fascinating to see if Waller and Bryce Young can hook up for a touchdown in that game.
Even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division.
It will be intriguing to see how Carolina does in 2026. The team will no longer fly under the radar after making the playoffs last season.
