Giants Get Darren Waller in Trade with Raiders

The New York Giants are landing tight end Darren Waller in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In exchange for Waller, the Giants will relinquish a third-round pick (No. 100 overall). The 2020 Pro Bowler, who had two consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons, will provide quarterback Daniel Jones with an experienced target in the passing game.

In the last two years, Waller has experienced a number of injuries, appearing in just 20 total games, yet he remains third among NFL tight ends in catches (280) and receiving yards (3,394) since 2019, after Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.

The draft pick that was sent to Las Vegas was initially acquired by the Giants from the Chiefs in the fall of 2020 in the deal that saw Kadarius Toney heading to Kansas City. The trade, along with the lack of effectiveness from Kenny Golladay and the season-ending knee injury sustained by Sterling Shepard, put Quarterback Daniel Jones in a tough spot as his receiving corps lacked experience. This situation led to Joe Schoen, the Giants General Manager, expecting to make passing-game improvements during the offseason.

The Giants, who had an unimpressive receiving corps last season, found an innovative way to improve when they acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Raiders in a trade on Tuesday. Waller, who signed a three-year, $51 million extension with Oakland in September, will be with New York for the next four seasons and should be a key part of their two-tight-end formations alongside Daniel Bellinger, a fourth-round pick last year. Waller's addition should make a significant difference, as Darius Slayton was the team's leading receiver last season with 724 yards.

Las Vegas' roster shakeup continued on Tuesday, when they agreed to a three-year deal with free agent receiver Jakobi Meyers, causing them to make tight end Darren Waller expendable. Waller was replaced last season by Foster Moreau, who is set to become a free agent, leaving the Raiders with only Jesper Horsted and Cole Fotheringham under contract at the position. Las Vegas is also in pursuit of veteran free agent tight end Marcedes Lewis, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Las Vegas is said to have declined the Green Bay Packers' offer of a second-round pick for tight end Darren Waller at the previous year's trade deadline. Now, however, the Raiders possess 12 draft selections, with the Giants' third-rounder among them, in a draft deep in tight end prospects.

The 6-foot-6 Waller played in only nine games last year, accumulating 28 catches for 388 yards and three touchdowns. He recently married Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, whose team is owned by Raiders owner Mark Davis.