Getty Darren Waller & Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders are supposed to have a loaded offense this season but rumors are coming out that one of their best offensive players could be playing elsewhere. Cheesehead TV reported that the Green Bay Packers are pursuing a trade for tight end Darren Waller. The Packers apparently wanted him included in the trade for Davante Adams but NFL rules don’t allow players on franchise tags to be traded for players who are not on franchise tags.
Waller’s future with the Raiders has become the subject of much speculation due to his contract. He has two years left on a contract that pays him $7.45 million a year, which isn’t close to what the $15 million George Kittle is making a year. Waller will eventually want to get paid a similar amount but he has yet to force the issue. Quarterback Derek Carr recently signed a contract extension with the Raiders. He took a team-friendly deal and mentioned Waller as a reason he didn’t demand more money.
Carr saw the trade rumors and made it clear that the tight end isn’t going anywhere.
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Would Carr Know if Waller Was Going to Get Traded?
Obviously, Carr isn’t the general manager of the Raiders so the only people who truly know if Waller is on the trade block is Dave Ziegler, Josh McDaniels and Mark Davis. However, the quarterback should have some knowledge of the situation. As noted earlier, Waller’s future with the team played a role in why Carr didn’t take a bigger contract. Ziegler would likely have mentioned to the quarterback that Waller could be moved before signing him.
While the quarterback shouldn’t dictate every move, the front office should be transparent with him. Waller has been one of the Raiders’ best players in recent years so trading him would be a surprise. That said, it wouldn’t be the first time Carr was surprised by a trade. He didn’t think the team would trade away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears back in 2018.
Raiders Insider Shuts Down Waller Rumors
At this point, trading Waller doesn’t make much sense. This year’s draft is considered weak so getting picks can’t be that appealing. Plus, Waller hasn’t demanded a better contract yet. He even showed up to voluntary workouts recently. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that the Raiders have no interest in trading the star tight end.
Now, anything is on the table after the season. Once Waller enters the final year of his contract, he could start making a big push for a raise and he’ll deserve it. He’s one of the receiving tight ends in the NFL. If the Raiders don’t want to pay him, some team will, but until he forces the issues, Las Vegas doesn’t need to think about trading him. Davante Adams is a great wide receiver but he can’t do everything by himself. The Adams addition is supposed to open things up for Waller so trading him now makes no sense.
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