The new-look Las Vegas Raiders will be one of the more intriguing teams to watch in the 2024 season because they have the potential to add real difference-makers to the roster in the coming months.
The Raiders have over $40 million in cap space to play around with in free agency along with nine picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Las Vegas’ first pick is No. 13 overall and in a draft class deep with receivers, offensive linemen and quarterbacks, the team could get a franchise cornerstone piece to build around for years.
The same kind of optimism can’t be had for a team like the New York Giants, though, who have some big questions they need to answer after falling apart last season. New York did struggle mightily with injuries on both sides of the field, including to Darren Waller whom the team signed to a three-year deal the previous offseason.
Waller was originally expected to play out the remainder of his deal, but it sounds like the former Raider is also contemplating retiring from the NFL via Paul Schwartz and Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post:
“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller said.
This seems to have caught the Giants organization off guard because they were reportedly unaware that Waller was considering retirement:
“The Giants front office after the season was not aware that Waller was contemplating walking away.
A Giants source confirmed Friday, based on a conversation with his agent, that Waller would play for the team in 2024.”
When healthy, Waller’s a legitimate threat in the passing game as he’s a big-body target for quarterbacks, especially in the end zone. Wallers’ first year in New York was hampered by injuries and as a result he managed to record 52 receptions for 552 yards and just one touchdown.
If Waller does end up retiring, he’ll always be remembered for his time with the Raiders when he emerged as a star in the 2020 season. Waller made his first Pro Bowl appearance and looked like the next star tight end before injuries slowed him down.
Raiders betting favorites to sign Russell Wilson
Las Vegas needs to decide on its starting quarterback for the 2024 season. The team could take several different directions, with the veteran addition likely to be the most likely one.
After the Denver Broncos cut him, Russell Wilson will need a new home, and Las Vegas was named one of the betting favorites to land him.
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