Kelly: Darren Waller found the joy he'd lost in season away from football

Miami Herald

7 days ago

Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.
It requires ongoing effort and commitment, and doesn't just center around not drinking, or using drugs.
It's about making a conscious and sustained effort to live a life free from substance use, and addressing the emotional, and psychological aspects that led to addiction, and destructive behavior.
Protecting his sobriety is why Darren Waller, a recovering drug addict and alcoholic - who has faced multiple suspensions through his eight-year NFL career - abruptly retired from the game last season.
Waller walked away from a $50 million contract with the Giants because he found himself resorting to his old vices.
'I'm making sure what I'm living, and what I'm walking, I'm practicing. There are times when I've weaved away from that a little bit,' Waller said during Tuesday's introductory press conference with the Miami Dolphins, which traded for the 2020 Pro Bowler a day after the team traded Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a package that also sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh in for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a swap of 2025 late-round picks.
'This last year that's something I was able to lock in on,' Waller said, referring to his year away from football. ' I feel like I'm coming into this environment to be effective, and stay grounded.'
Waller claimed the New York environment wasn't healthy for him. He also went through a divorce from WNBA superstar Kelsey Plum in 2024 and needed to refocus himself, doing things he was passionate about.
At that time football wasn't on that list.
The year away from the game, which he spent working out, making music, spending time with family and friends, traveling and going to therapy and allowed him to remember things within the game that can 'bring him joy.'
'It all works together,' Waller said about his sobriety walk, which he's made public for years. 'For me to be as effective a football player as I can be I need to be sober in all ways. Sober emotionally. I need to continue to do what brought me here. Continue to put my recovery first.'
According to Waller, he didn't sign an incentive-laden 1-year deal worth a base of $2 million, because of what the NFL provided.
He came to the Dolphins with a 'full cup,' and unretired because of what he can bring the Dolphins, the only team he wanted to play for because of his relationship with offensive coordinator Frank Smith, the fan base, and people seeking inspiration.
He also valued coach Mike McDaniel's reputation as an innovative coach, and the fact McDaniel's also a recovering alcoholic.
Training for the Hyrox Challenge, which is a version of Crossfit, kept him in-shape. However, Waller knows it will take him a minute to get back into football shape, which is why he'll be on a unique practice program with Miami.
According to fullback Alec Ingold, who was Waller's teammate during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders, the 32-year-old he calls a 'one of one,' referring to how unique Waller is as a person, will be worth the wait.
'I don't know if anybody is really ready for what he can do on the field. A lot of tight ends impact the game in a number of different ways. That's one dude where I've been in game plan meetings with him and it's 'get the ball to him 15-20 times a game, and he's going to take it over' and he does. I think that's a rare quality,' Ingold said.
'He's going to have his own challenges coming back,' Ingold continued. 'He's a great human being and he can take over games when he's humming, when he's motivated.'
More so than what Waller has left, the biggest question about his return centers on how long he stays motivated, and whether his stint in Miami, and playing time with the Dolphins, will assist, or hinder his sobriety.
But like they say in recovery programs, Waller's return to the NFL should be taken one day at a time.
Waller claims he's ready for whatever comes of it.
'These chances aren't something you can just pick off a tree, or anybody gets them any given day walking off the street,' said Waller, who has caught 352 passes and turned them into 4,124 and scored 20 touchdowns in eight seasons . 'You might as well take advantage of them and put a smile on my face.'