The Las Vegas Raiders are projected to have a potent offense now that they have Davante Adams on board, but fans should also be excited about what this means for Darren Waller.
Waller has been the focal point of the Raiders’ offense since breaking out in 2019 when he recorded career-highs across the board. Halfway through that season, Waller signed a three-year extension that would keep him in Silver and Black through the 2023 season.
The tight end has one year left on his deal, and it sounds like another extension is on the horizon as he discussed negotiations his agent and the Raiders are involved in via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk:
“My agent is working on that ,” Waller said on the Ross Tucker Podcast. “I understand it, but I know if I focus on it too much, it could take away from my job and learning a new system and just continuing to try to elevate and take care of my body in the right way. I try to focus on those things and let my agent handle that. When decisions need to be made, decisions need to be made.”
There were murmurs that Las Vegas was looking to trade Waller, but he quickly debunked any noise of him leaving, and his recent comments make it seem like a lock that he will be staying. Waller endured an injury-riddled 2021 season that forced him to miss six games, but when healthy, he is clearly an elite tight end that opposing defenses have to key in on.
What the dollar amount on a new deal will be is interesting considering Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku just signed a four-year, $56.75 million extension with $28 million guaranteed. That would be a good benchmark for Waller, but he should definitely make more guaranteed money considering how much of a weapon he has become.
