The New York York Giants have acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Raiders, the NFL Network reports, and as confirmed by a source, who adds the transaction is pending a physical.
In exchange, the Giants will send the 100th pick in the draft, acquired from the Chiefs in the Kadarius Toney trade last year, to the Raiders for Waller.
Waller, 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, was originally a sixth-round draft pick by the Ravens out of Georgia Tech in 2015. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2019 and 2020 with the Raiders and a career-best nine touchdown catches in 2020.
He has 298 receptions for 3,572 yards and 19 touchdowns in his seven-year career. But he's missed 14 games over the last two seasons due to injuries, playing in only 11 games in 2021 and nine games in 2022, most recently due to a hamstring strain.
In 2020 Waller opened up about some off-field demons he battled through that he said nearly sabotaged his NFL career.
With the Giants having committed to quarterback Daniel Jones for potentially another four seasons, they were searching for additional weapons for their quarterback. Waller, who last season finished with 388 yards and three touchdowns on 28 catches, is one that the team can look to pair with second-year tight end Daniel Bellinger to provide that firepower.
Waller, 31 years old, signed a contract extension last season, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league at $17 million per season. He is due $11 million in base salary, $8.25 million of which becomes guaranteed for this season on March 17. He can also earn up to $1.275 million in each of the remaining seasons of his contract based on the number of games for which he is active.
The remainder of his contract includes base salaries of $10.525 million in 2024, $11.525 million in 2025, and $13.525 million in 2026. Waller has no guaranteed money owed to him beyond this year, making the acquisition a low-risk, high-reward.
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