The Las Vegas Raiders have some momentum going their way following their second win in three games, and now with the trade deadline approaching, the team could be making some moves soon. The likes of Johnathan Abram and Clelin Ferrell have been mentioned as trade possibilities, and the team already traded defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to the Dallas Cowboys, but a bigger name could potentially be moved in tight end Darren Waller.
Waller’s talent is undeniable, but the tight end has struggled to stay healthy over the last couple of seasons. After back-to-back seasons of over 1,100 yards, Waller had just 665 yards in 11 games last season and is again struggling to stay on the field this year.
Even still, Waller signed a new three-year contract extension with the Raiders last month, but according to RaidersBeat.com, that deal does not provide many obstacles if the Raiders want to trade Waller away:
Waller signed a hefty extension with the Raiders before the start of the season, but the deal was crafted in a way that the team can trade him relatively easily at any time. According to Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac.com, Waller would only cost the Raiders $4.4 million in dead money if traded this week. That amount of dead money would easily be made up with Waller’s contract off the books.
A team in need of some receiving help would undoubtedly be interested in a player of Waller’s caliber, and the Raiders would likely be able to get some decent draft compensation in such a deal. The Raiders offense certainly hasn’t struggled with Waller sidelined, as Davante Adams continues to dominate while Josh Jacobs is enjoying the best stretch of his career.
Due to injuries, the Raiders have not really seen how things could work with all of their offensive pieces on the field together. With Derek Carr at the helm, having Waller, Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Mack Hollins along with Josh Jacobs in the backfield would give the Raiders one of the most dynamic offenses in the entire league, and head coach Josh McDaniels may want to at least wait and give them a chance to all come together.
But if the right deal comes together, it may be hard to turn down as Waller’s injury issues continue to pile up, and his talent simply isn’t able to be shown on the field because of it.
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