Former Ravens Pro-Bowl Tight End Surprisingly Trapped Out Of Team For 2024 Season…

After days of speculation, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has decided to retire from the game of football. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was among the first to announce the news.

Waller informed the team on Sunday.

The 31-year-old had been contemplating retirement this offseason, and after not attending workouts, he informed the team of his decision. Waller played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants.

Waller was due to make $10.5 million in 2024, and he would count $14.1 million against the salary cap. Now that he called it quits, the Giants will gain $11.6 million in cap space after the transaction.

Waller was traded to the Giants last offseason for a compensatory 2023 third-round pick. On Thursday, Giants head coach Brian Daboll gave some insight into his potential decision, saying, “When he makes his decision, he makes his decision.”

The Giants were preparing for if worse came to worse, signing veteran tight ends Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz. They also drafted tight end Theo Johnson from Penn State in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Por Bolwer started his career with the Ravens after being selected in the sixth round with the 204 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. After four years with the Ravens, he signed with the Raiders off the Ravens’ practice squad. He spent another four-plus seasons with the Raiders, and his best season came in 2020, racking up 107 receptions, fourth in the NFL, and first among tight ends. He ranked tenth overall in yardage and second among tight ends.

At the start of the 2022 season, Waller signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Raiders that made him the highest-paid tight end in the league. However, he was limited in 2022 due to a nagging hamstring injury. Then came the trade to the Giants last March, and his lone season in New York was rather underwhelming. Waller played in 12 games, started in 11, and recorded 52 receptions for 552 yards, one touchdown, and averaged 10.6 yards per reception. He was limited to 12 games due to a hamstring injury, the same one that kept him off the gridiron in 2021 and ’22.

The Maryland native didn’t have a Hall of Fame-type career but was effective when available. In his nine-year career, he recorded 350 receptions for 4,124 yards, 20 touchdowns, 11.8 yards per reception, and a catch percentage of 69.9 in 86 games and 63 starts.

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Maryland Football lands commitment for second day in a row

Maryland football has its second commitment from its big crew of weekend official visitors. This time, the Terps added a big body in the trenches.

Ben Beymer, a 6-8, 300-pound offensive lineman from Florida, announced his commitment Sunday afternoon on X. He’s the second pledge of the weekend from an official visitor after JT Taggart, the son of Baltimore Ravens running backs coach Willie Taggart, committed on Saturday. In the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Beymer is the No. 95 offensive tackle in the country and a three-star prospect.

Also a basketball player for Lakeland High (Fla.), Beymer was the starting right tackle for a team that reached the state finals last season. was among a large group of official visitors in College Park, the second official visit weekend in a row for the Terps. He visited Duke, Texas A&M and a few other schools this spring.

Via Florida high school football site Big County Preps:

“Standing tall at 6 feet 8 inches and weighing in at 285-295 pounds, Ben Beymer is a force to be reckoned with on the offensive line. With his impressive arm extension and explosive first step, Beymer has the ability to dominate opposing defenders, creating running lanes and providing crucial protection for his quarterback.”

Beymer is the ninth player and second offensive lineman to join Maryland football’s 2025 recruiting class. He chose Maryland over offers from Syracuse, Duke, Georgia Tech, USF and others.

Tennnessee judge ends conservatorship agreement between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family

Tennessee judge Kathleen Gomes ruled on Wednesday that she is ending the conservatorship agreement between Michael Oher and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, according to the Associated Press.

The conservatorship became the center of a public spat between Oher and the Tuohy family. The judge also announced that she will not dismiss Oher’s lawsuit against the Tuohys. Oher, the focal point of The Blind Side, alleged in August that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy chose conservatorship over adoption to benefit from his football fame for personal gain.

“According to the suit, the Tuohys did not adopt Oher in 2004, rather they instead entered him into a conservatorship and impressed upon him that it was the same process as adoption,” CBS Sports reports. “Under a conservatorship, the Tuohys were able to enter into deals legally without Oher’s consent. The conservatorship also allowed the Tuohys to take ownership of Oher’s finances even though he was not a legal member of the family.

The Tuohy family says Oher threatened them with going public after requesting a $15 million check, per TMZ Sports. They added that the conservatorship in question was established to help the former offensive tackle get recruited by Ole Miss and other major programs.

RELATED: Michael Oher’s story is tragic, but it didn’t have to be this way

Oher’s allegations against the Tuohy family were brought to light when he filed paperwork alleging he was never adopted. He says that shortly after he turned 18 in 2004, the Tuoys tricked him into signing a document that designated them as his conservators. As a result, he unknowingly granting them legal jurisdiction to conduct business deals on his behalf.

The 14-page petition filed by Oher in probate court alleges that the Tuohys used that power to negotiate an agreement that resulted in substantial royalties stemming from the Oscar-winning movie that amounted to millions of dollars for them the Tuohys and their two biological children. The Blind Side movie amassed more than $300 million in earnings. Meanwhile, Oher reportedly received nothing from a movie “that would not have existed without him.”

Oher was an unanimous All-American in his final season at Ole Miss in 2008. He was a two-time, First-Team All-SEC selection with the Rebels in 2007 and 2008 before declaring for the NFL Draft after three years in Oxford.