The New York Giants traded a 2023 third-round pick (No. 100) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for tight end Darren Waller on Tuesday, NFL Media reported.
The pick originally belonged to the Kansas City Chiefs, who dealt it to New York in exchange for wide receiver Kadarius Toney midway through the 2022 NFL season.
Waller has been productive in his career when healthy. The 2020 season was statistically his best. He started 15 games, caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
However, Waller has appeared in just 20 total games in the past two seasons. In 2022, Waller suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to miss all but eight of the Raiders’ games.
“If you’ve been following Darren Waller, you’ll know he just got a really hefty, big contract,” said Chris Johnson, an analyst for The 33rd Team. “And since he got paid, he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy. So the Raiders never got to enjoy the fruit of that labor or anything like that. And now, he’s going over to the Giants.”
On Monday, the Raiders agreed to a three-year deal with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. They continued the makeover of the offense on Tuesday, trading Waller and signing former New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
The Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term extension. The trade for Waller shows they are committed to surrounding their quarterback with talent.
“(Waller) is very athletic. He’s a guy that you can go to as a safety blanket,” said Johnson. “He’s definitely a mismatch for those guys out there.”
The Giants’ new pass-catcher is due to earn $12.75 million in 2023, with three subsequent, non-guaranteed years worth a total of $40 million remaining on his contract.
