Darren Waller has secured the bag a bit earlier than expected as the Raiders have inked the tight end to a multi-year extension, the team announced on Wednesday. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media adds that this deal will run through 2023 and is expected to pay him around $9 million a season. Waller, who was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, is now attached to the Raiders organization for three more years beyond this season.
This extension is just the latest positive note to Waller's story. He originally entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 out of Georgia Tech. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve and then battled substance abuse for the last few years. He was suspended by the league for four games in 2016 because of it and was slapped with a yearlong ban for the entire 2017 season after violating the leagues's substance abuse policy once again.
Upon getting clean and being reinstated by the NFL in August of 2018, he was moved to Baltimore's practice squad and later signed with Oakland's practice unit that November. There, he eventually made it to the active roster, played in four games and caught all six of his targets for 75 yards. A small, but promising step.
Heading into this season, Waller was a central character in HBO's "Hard Knocks," and during those episodes seemed to show flashes of what was to come in the regular season. Through Week 6, Waller has been enjoying his most productive season by far and has been a key cog in Oakland's offense, catching 37 balls for 359 yards.
With this new deal now in hand, he'll continue to be a signature weapon for the Raiders for years to come.
