dp
Getty
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 26: Tight end Darren Waller #35 of the Carolina Panthers looks on during a joint practice with the Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers Practice Fields on August 26, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)
Darren Waller found the end zone on Sunday.
It’s Sept. 20, 2026, and the tight end who once seemed to be retired instead is making plays for the Carolina Panthers.
He’s a player whose peak was improbable to begin with, but his career did indeed seem over. He officially retired.
Then he came back, and this season, he came to Carolina.
The Panthers have other reliable tight ends, but they don’t mind having Waller, too.
How Darren Waller Came Back From Retirement
Waller chose in July 2025 to come back from retirement.
The New York Giants officially held his rights, but upon Waller’s return from retirement, they traded him to the Miami Dolphins to gain a sixth-round draft pick.
In Miami, Waller signed a one-year, $5 million deal.
Waller hadn’t played since 2023 with the Giants.
His best NFL years came with the Raiders. In 2019, he had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three TDs.
His career year came in 2020: 107 catches, 1,196 yards, nine TDs.
Waller would have 665 yards in 11 games for the Raiders in 2021, then last just nine games in 2022.
He left for the Giants in 2023, and in 12 games, he caught 52 passes for 552 yards.
Last season with the Dolphins, Waller played in nine games and had 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns.
Waller just turned 35 years old on Sept. 13. At 6-foot-6, he’s still a clearly strong red zone target.
In Week 1 for the Panthers, he had two catches for 28 yards.
Panthers’ TE Depth Chart
Waller is one of three tight ends the Panthers have used in the first two weeks of the season.
Tommy Tremble is the starter and has a well-rounded skillset to both block and catch passes.
Mitchell Evans is also a part of the TE rotation.
Then there’s Waller, who at this point is clearly out there to be a big target.
Waller’s presence has meant that Ja’Tavion Sanders has been pushed to the outside looking in. The young tight end once looked like a rising standout, but he’s instead been a healthy scratch two weeks in a row. Without Waller, that likely wouldn’t have happened.
The Panthers are playing to win games now and try to repeat as NFC South Division champs, and Waller is out there to help the cause.
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen
