When the Miami Dolphins were reported to have acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Giants last week, it shocked the NFL world. 
Not because it was some huge blockbuster, but because Waller had been retired from the league for the entire 2024 season.
However, Waller’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, provided some details on how the trade came together during his weekly appearance on weekly TV spot on WSVN 7’s Sports Xtra on Sunday night.“I got a phone call in the last week of June from Darren, and he said, ‘Drew, I’ve decided that I want to play again. I miss football. The itch to play, the love of the game, is back, and I’d like to play for the Miami Dolphins,’” Rosenhaus said of his conversation with Waller.
Rosenhaus has to say this about Waller’s drive to play again — it’s his job.
That said, this does line up with some of Waller’s own comments about considering a comeback if he got to play for current Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who was Waller’s tight ends coach with the Raiders.
In a March interview with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, Waller laid out only the coaches he would consider making a comeback for.
“The only two people I will listen to, I will say, is you (Jon Gruden) and Frank Smith,” Waller told Gruden. “The only two people I will hear out and give them my ear. They got sports cars down there, man. Everybody down there runs a 4.3."
Waller's commitment to reuniting with Smith should at least inspire some confidence that he’s 100% committed and healthy, despite doing numerous interviews this past year about how much football was weighing on him and his health.
The tight end mentioned a hospital scare he had in the middle of the 2023 season as a reason for stepping away.
"Was pretty clear I almost just lost my life," Waller said in his YouTube video announcing his retirement last year. "I don’t know if I really feel like if I would’ve died that I would’ve felt great about how my life was going."
The Dolphins could really use some production from Waller, as he’s joining a room that just lost Jonnu Smith in a trade with the Steelers.
The Other Rosenhaus Client
Ironically, Rosenhaus also represents Smith. Of course, Rosenhaus’ perspective on the events between Smith and the Dolphins is inherently biased toward his client, but he did make a few interesting remarks on the topic.
Per The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Rosenhaus said the Dolphins “made the decision they were not going to do a new deal for Jonnu and allowed him to seek a trade instead of forcing him to play out the last year of his deal.”
Rosenhaus added that the Jalen Ramsey for Minkah Fitzpatrick swap might not have happened if the Dolphins weren’t willing to include Smith.
This is off the heels of Smith’s interview with former Dolphins offensive lineman Terron Armstead’s podcast. Smith was candid about how he felt negotiations with the Dolphins went and clearly wasn’t happy.
"I felt like I was in a position and one of the key ingredients to helping this team succeed, and after the season ended, me and my agent, we were like 'This is a no-brainer.' We're gonna be here forever," Smith said. "Eventually, it came to a point and time when they told me they can't do it."
We will have to wait and see what Miami’s brass says about the breakup, but it should be noted that Coach Mike McDaniel was adamant about wanting to keep Smith on the team during his minicamp interviews.
