The Las Vegas Raiders are looking strong heading into the 2022 season, though one piece of important business has to be resolved first.
Darren Waller has not practiced for most of the offseason due to an injury, but some speculate it has more to do with his contract situation. Although Waller has two years left on his current deal, he has been holding out for a lucrative extension.
The Raiders and Waller have been talking about a new deal, and according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, he has a deal in place that would make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL:
My understanding is #Raiders TE Darren Waller has had a deal in discussion that would make him the highest paid at his position in terms of at least the new money APY metric at $16M/yr, per league source. Waller is currently in the midst of changing representation.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 29, 2022
George Kittle is currently the highest-paid at the position at about $15 million a year, so it would appear Las Vegas is intent on keeping its star at a dollar amount that is more fitting of his talent. Waller would reset the tight end market if the deal went through, but that’s worth it for the Raiders offense.
Waller recently left Klutch Sports, and it’s fair to wonder if that was about the lack of movement in negotiations. Regardless, it sounds like the tight end will get the payday he deserves, and hopefully, he returns the value on the deal for a Silver and Black squad looking to compete for a Super Bowl as soon as this year.
