Raiders Trade Pro Bowl Tight End Darren Waller To Giants: Report
By Jason Hall
March 14, 2023
The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly traded tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants in exchange for a third-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, sources with knowledge of the situation told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Tuesday (March 14).
"So the #Giants traded a third-round compensatory pick that they received in the Kadarius Toney trade (No. 100 overall) and land the big-time weapon they coveted for newly extended QB Daniel Jones: It's Darren Waller," Pelissero tweeted.
The Raiders were reported to have discussed potential trades involving Waller dating back to last offseason, which included possibly including him in the Davante Adams trade with the Green Bay Packers in March 2022, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
So the #Giants traded a third-round compensatory pick that they received in the Kadarius Toney trade (No. 100 overall) and land the big-time weapon they coveted for newly extended QB Daniel Jones: It's Darren Waller. https://t.co/pGSnt1Nf5F
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2023
The #Raiders had talks for more than a year centered around Darren Waller, including nearly sending him to the #Packers in the Davante Adams trade. Now, he heads to the #Giants as a key weapon for Daniel Jones.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2023
The Giants were reportedly "nosing around" the free agent wide receiver market "but seem unimpressed with the class" and instead opted to acquire Waller, a former Pro Bowl selection, to improve their passing attack, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports.
From Free Agency Frenzy on @nflnetwork following @TomPelissero’s breaking news on the Darren Waller trade: The #Giants have been nosing around the free-agent WR market but seem unimpressed with the class so they made a different move for a different pass-catching position. pic.twitter.com/VN82Kx0BBa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 14, 2023
Waller was selected by the Baltimore Ravens at No. 204 overall in the sixth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, but was relegated to the team's practice squad after being reinstated by the NFL following numerous suspensions for the league's substance-abuse policy amid his documented battle with addiction. The Raiders signed Waller off the Ravens' practice squad in 2018 and used him sporadically before a breakout season in 2019, which took place after being featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks during training camp.
Waller recorded 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns in 2019 before a career-best 107 receptions, 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. The 30-year-old is coming off a season in which he recorded 28 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns in nine starts.