Darren Waller struggled to find his footing with new head coach Josh McDaniels leading the way in Las Vegas. Even after the tight end inked a three-year, $51MM extension last offseason, there were rumblings that he had become a source of frustration within the organization during the 2022 season.
[RELATED: Raiders To Trade Darren Waller To Giants]
Waller was ultimately traded to the Giants back in March, and the tight end acknowledged that the move didn’t come as a huge surprise.
“Not totally shocked,” Waller told Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I had heard some things. There were different moments throughout the year that I heard I may be traded or I may not. So the actual event of it wasn’t too shocking.
“But I didn’t expect it to be the Giants.”
Following 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, Waller was limited to only 11 games in 2021. He missed another eight games in 2022, a factor that likely contributed to the organization’s frustrations. It seemed like rival teams were aware of the disconnect between Waller and the coaching staff; we heard that the Packers tried to trade for the player midseason, and agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed that the front office even shopped Waller last offseason.
So, when Waller was ultimately traded, the move naturally didn’t come as a huge shock to the 30-year-old. Waller admitted that he was surprised that he was dealt to New York, perhaps because they hadn’t been definitively listed as a suitor (the only two reported teams that had shown interest were the Packers and Dolphins).
On paper, the Giants seemed like a logical landing spot. The team didn’t do much last season to replace Evan Engram, leaning mostly on Daniel Bellinger at tight end. In New York, Waller should emerge as one of Daniel Jones‘ top targets, and the tight end is excited about the opportunity.
“It’s been great,” Waller said of his Giants experience. “It’s been a great challenge. I love a good challenge and just forming a new relationship with my teammates. They’re really excited about winning. They’re really solid about doing things the right way and continuing to build a foundation on what they started last year. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Reckon most players would be ‘excited’ to get away from McDaniels. He’s like a tiny spoiled Lord Fauntleroy
Yep, so far McDaniels has shown he’s good at getting rid of players, and blowing leads late in the game. Hasn’t shown he can win yet.
Lmao
Somehow, the Raiders can’t get it right. Gruden to McDaniels, coaches that don’t appreciate higher quality players. Coaches that think its the program and not the players. I think McDaniels will have another losing record this year.
For sure they will be under .500. The D isn’t very good. If Jimmy G goes down they won’t score either.
I remember sitting at Ravens’ stadium having a nice conversation with two teenage Raiders’ fans about how the Raiders just couldn’t seem to get it right – going for names over substance, flash over fundamentals, seeming to make moves for attention rather than improvement and never getting over the hump to be a serious contender consistently.
This was in 2006 (September 17 according to the records). It hasn’t changed. Those poor guys are in their 30s now.