The Green Bay Packers are short one playmaking pass catcher with designs on trading for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller to fill that role. On Wednesday, April 27, Waller offered his thoughts on that pursuit.
Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio asked the former Pro Bowl TE about his reaction to the trade rumors during an interview.
Darren Waller told me the Raiders told him he isn’t getting traded.
“I didn’t really have much of a reaction. I’m focused on learning the offensive system here in Vegas, building relationships with coaches, and just enjoying working with my teammates while I have the opportunity to,” Waller told Gelb. “It’s a business. Whatever happens, happens. But I’m enjoying my time here in Vegas and loving the new staff and the new challenges that are in place, so I’m focused on what I can control.”
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Raiders Told Waller He Will Not Be Traded to Packers
GettyTight end Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 33-27 in overtime at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Waller’s initial reaction to Gelb’s question made it sound as though his future with the Raiders is uncertain, meaning a potential future with the Packers is at least possible, if not likely. However, Waller elaborated during a follow-up that members of the organization have told him he will not be traded.
“I’ve had talks with the team and they said this is not a thing that’s happening, there’s no trade that’s going to happen,” Waller explained. “Like I said, we’re just focusing on football, getting better, learning the system and seeing where it’s going to take us this year.”
The tight end did not mention with whom those discussions were had, be it new head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, or some other member of the Raiders coaching staff or front office. However, it would not be an unprecedented result for an NFL team to tell a star player that he isn’t going to be moved and then for circumstances to facilitate a trade later on.
Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV reported Monday, April 25, that two league sources confirmed to him the Packers’ interest in Waller. Furthermore, Nagler said work was being undertaken “with an eye toward a deal getting done during this week’s NFL Draft.”
Nagler added that Waller was the player Green Bay tried to acquire in return for All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, to whom the Packers initially applied the franchise tag before trading him to Las Vegas for first-round and second-round picks in 2022.
Flipping Adams for Waller was not an option for the Packers based on league rules, which don’t allow a player to come back in return for another player being traded on an unsigned franchise tag. Thus, four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains without a true No. 1 pass catcher in Green Bay less than 24 hours before the draft begins.
Packers Will Likely Have to Pay Waller New Contract if Trade Is Done
GettyTight end Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates after a 79-yard reception against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of a game at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Cheesehead TV also suggested that Waller will likely want a new contract if he is traded to the Packers. That request is also a possibility if he remains with the Raiders, and Gelb asked the tight end if he believed it played a factor in news coming out that trade talks between the two teams were in the works.
“I have no idea, to be honest. I let my agent do his job and I focus on the football aspect, and we keep it pushing like that,” Waller said Wednesday. “I try to keep things simple. If I worry about all these different things that I can’t necessarily control, I can get frustrated, anybody can get frustrated. I just try to be as efficient as possible, focus on what I can give to this team every day when I show up to the building, and I enjoy my life when I do that.”
Waller, now 29 years old, is entering the third year of a four-year contract worth $29.8 million, per Spotrac. He caught 55 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns over the course of 11 games played last season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Those numbers aren’t necessarily reflective of the asset Waller can be, as he suffered a back injury and a knee injury during the Raiders’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys, which ultimately cost him six starts. During Waller’s Pro-Bowl season in 2020, he made 107 catches for 1,196 yards and scored nine touchdowns. The year prior, Waller caught 90 passes for 1,145 yards.
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Raiders Star TE Darren Waller Sounds Off on Packers Trade Rumors