Darren Waller Speaks on Trade From Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders made one of the most shocking moves in the National Football League last year when they decided to trade tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants. It's only been a little over a year and it already looks like a great move.

According to a recent article by DJ Siddiqi of Forbes, Waller said the Raiders kept him and his agent in the loop, letting them know there was a possibility he would be traded. However, Waller thought he could be going to a team that could use his assets — specifically, the Green Bay Packers and the Miami Dolphins. 

Both would have put Waller in a better position on paper. However, the Giants were coming off a playoff run. Hard feelings or not, the Raiders did right by him. 

“Being traded itself was not a surprise,” Waller said. "Going to the Giants was a surprise. I had heard earlier in the season a couple of different times from my agent that I was being shopped around. When I was traded, it wasn’t the trade itself (as being a surprise). It was more so to the team (Giants). I had heard the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and some other teams.”

Waller pointed out that most people don’t know what players go through when they suddenly have to pick up and move to a city they don’t know well. Although he doesn’t necessarily like it, Waller admitted it is par for the NFL.

“People don’t see a lot of the human element when it comes to moving across the country, finding somewhere to live, you don’t have any friends,” Waller said. “There’s a lot of things that help a human being thrive and those things get taken away from you. You have to rebuild and work through that adversity. Those are the kind of things that you have to roll with when you’re in this type of industry.”

The Raiders undoubtedly won the trade with the Giants, especially if Waller does retire. The Giants traded their third-round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, which ended up being Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker. On the other hand, Waller could not stay healthy this past season and is looking to bounce back should he choose not to retire.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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