Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Las Vegas Raiders did some major retooling to the offense this offseason. Since 2019, tight end Darren Waller and Derek Carr were two of the key cogs to the team’s offense. However, neither will be in Las Vegas for the 2023 season. Waller was traded to the New York Giants for a third-round pick while Carr was released and eventually signed with the New Orleans Saints.
It was clear the team was going to make a quarterback change when they benched Carr following a Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Waller appeared to be part of the Raiders’ plans going forward. Instead, the team moved on and replaced him with rookie second-round out of Notre Dame Michael Mayer. The highly-touted tight end could be an instant impact player for the team, but may not be the perfect Waller replacement immediately.
In a June 23 mailbag, a fan asked The Athletic’s Vic Tafur if the Raiders could have a top-five offense in 2023, but the insider is dubious due to the Waller trade.
“That was what I was throwing around last year, wasn’t it? Top five offense. Hmm. How about top 10? I think they will regret the Waller trade,” Tafur wrote.
Josh McDaniels Said He Had Plans for Darren Waller Shortly Before Trade
Darren Waller’s first season under head coach Josh McDaniels was disappointing. He was limited to nine games due to a hamstring injury and only caught 28 passes. There was speculation the Raiders could move on from Waller this offseason, but McDaniels came out and made it seem like the tight end wasn’t going anywhere.
“Darren fought through a lot of injuries and those types of things last year, but I have a great deal of confidence in Darren Waller,” McDaniels said at a February 28 press conference during the NFL Scouting Combine. “I thought he ended the season the right way. Really playing well. Still fast, explosive, great teammate, really smart. He’ll be a big part of what we do going forward.”
Waller was traded to the Giants less than a month later on March 14. It’s unclear if something went south during that time or if the Raiders were always planning on moving on from the Pro Bowler.
1-ON-1: Caught up with Darren Waller who’s back in town with his event helping those in addiction recovery here in Vegas.
We talked the urgency of the cause, being traded from Vegas, and life since the deal.
Michael Mayer Impressing the Las Vegas Raiders Early On
While losing Darren Waller is a blow to the offense, Michael Mayer can be a really good pro. The Raiders are very high on the tight end out of Notre Dame. Las Vegas just recently wrapped up organized team activities and Mayer quickly stuck out to Josh McDaniels as a player who impressed him early on.
“[He’s] a really hard worker, great teammate, tries to get better every single day, very attentive in the meetings, works at his technique very hard, wants to know how he can get better as being a pro,” McDaniels said during his June 1 media availability. “A lot of these rookies come in and everything they’re learning for the first time, and Michael is doing a great job of really trying to acclimate himself.
“I think he’s actually taken some type of a leadership role with the rookie class, and that’s great, those guys need it. So, very excited about Michael and where we’re headed. A long way to go, like a lot of them at this time of the year. They don’t know everything and they’re making a lot of mistakes, probably more than most, but that’s part of the growth process.”