Getty Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller.
It’s been an eventful offseason for Darren Waller. The star Las Vegas Raiders tight end has watched the team hand big contract extensions to Derek Carr, Hunter Renfrow and Maxx Crosby but he has yet to get a pay raise. Despite being one of the best three tight ends in the NFL, there are 16 in the NFL who are paid more than him.
Waller has grown impatient and recently decided to fire Klutch Sports and hire new representation in the form of Drew Rosenhaus. He was only represented by Klutch Sports for a year so things soured quickly. With the change of agent, the hope is that he can get a new contract soon. Waller hasn’t had a chance to comment on the situation since he’s been missing practice with an injury. He’s now back on the practice field and was able to speak to the media. He didn’t reveal much about the contract negotiations but did reveal that he plans to play regardless of what happens.
“We’ll see, man,” Waller said of getting a new deal. “There’s not really a lot of things that I can control, you know? I have faith in my representation. Whether it goes one way or it doesn’t, I’ll be playing football. I’ll just let it happen how it does.”
This is good news for the Raiders as Waller’s unwillingness to hold out takes a lot of pressure off of the team to get a deal done.
.@Raiders Darren Waller on switching agents, whether or not it can expedite process of getting a new deal.
Waller Nearing New Contract, per Insiders
Many players would hold out if they were in Waller’s situation. He still has two more years left on his contract with no guarantees. If he were to suffer a career-altering injury this season, he’d miss out on a lot of money. However, his patience may end up paying off. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, there’s a real chance that Waller gets a new contract before the Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
FYI: Sense is @Raiders and Darren Waller could be close to punching a new deal over the goal line as early as the end of the week.
Bonsignore isn’t the only one to report that a Waller contract could be coming. NFL insider Jordan Schultz essentially confirmed the report.
Darren Waller and the #Raiders‘ extension talks “are seriously heating up,” per a source.
The Pro Bowl TE hired Drew Rosenhaus to handle the negotiations. Make no mistake: Las Vegas wants to take care of him with guaranteed money and both sides are motivated to get it done soon.
Locking up Waller would be a big deal for the Raiders. That would mean that the offensive core of Carr, Renfrow, Davante Adams and Waller are locked in for the next few years. That would be one of the most impressive offenses cores in the NFL. The Raiders should be highly motivated to make this happen before they do irreparable damage to their relationship with the star tight end.
Waller Looking Healthy at Practice
Waller is one of the hardest workers on the team but has missed a big portion of training camp this offseason. The Raiders haven’t said much about his injury and it’s hard not to speculate that he’s playing things safe until he gets a new contract. Despite not having a contract yet, Waller has returned to practice and is looking nice and healthy.
Darren Waller looking healthy and ready to go at #Raiders practice
He appears to be running without any issues which is a good sign. It’s difficult to imagine he doesn’t suit up for Week 1 against the Chargers. While Adams is the Raiders’ biggest star, Waller is just as important to the offense.