With Josh McDaniels as the Las Vegas Raiders’ new head coach, a big year could be coming for Darren Waller.
Waller struggled to stay healthy during the 2021 season but presumably comes into 2022 ready to go and reminds the NFL that he is one of the premier tight ends in the game. Waller reported to minicamp last week despite ongoing negotiations on a contract extension, and so far, nothing has seemed to move on that front.
However, Vincent Bonsignore of Las Vegas Review-Journal called an extension imminent though the Raiders may also try to push it out to next offseason:
The sense is Darren Waller is going to be with the Raiders a long time, and that a new contract extension is imminent. That said, it might be on the to-do list for next year, as Waller still has two years left on his current deal and the Raiders might want to get one more year of real value out of him. If so, that could work in Waller’s favor as big stats this year will put him in a great position to re-market himself, as opposed a deal coming off a season that was marred by injuries.
It might make more sense for Waller and his camp to wait on signing an extension so he can increase his value with a strong showing during the upcoming season instead of agreeing to terms on a figure reflective of the down year he had. However, it does feel like fans should not have to worry about Waller going anywhere as he has maintained he wants to stay in Las Vegas.
The Raiders already agreed to an extension with another critical piece of the offense in Hunter Renfrow. It is only a matter of time until Waller gets what he deserves. Until then, it will be worth monitoring the situation.
