Rewind to the beginning of the 2022 season: Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller's back-and-forth extension negotiations with the Las Vegas Raiders ended a day before Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers after he signed a three-year, $51 million extension. The following offseason, he was shipped across the country to the New York Giants in exchange for a third-round pick. While that timeline of events may seem stunning to some, Waller admitted Thursday that he wasn't surprised.
"Not totally shocked," Waller said from an event for his foundation in Las Vegas (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal). "I had heard some things. There were different moments throughout the year that I heard I may be traded, or I may not. So the actual event of it wasn't too shocking. But I didn't expect it to be the Giants."
Waller almost ended up as a Green Bay Packer prior to the start of the 2022 season, meaning he would have been one of Aaron Rodgers' top targets a year ago. Instead, the trade comes in 2023, and he will be paired with New York's face-of-the-franchise quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract this offseason. Jones, while not Rodgers, could make fire works with Waller as he owned the eighth-highest passer rating in the entire NFL when throwing to tight ends, though he targeted them at the 31st-highest rate in the league last season. Waller could also help unlock Jones' deep ball since he had seven catches of 20 or more yards downfield, the most among all tight ends last season despite missing eight games.
On the flip side, Jones ran a conservative offense that looked to limit mistakes, as he had the second-shortest pass length in the entire league in 2022, 6.4 yards downfield. The Giants were also one of the top 10 red zone offenses in the NFL a year ago, converting 63.3% of their red zone drives into touchdowns -- the seventh-highest rate in the NFL -- despite not having a go-to big body like Waller's 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame to throw it up to. Safe to say 2022 NFL Coach of the Year Brian Daboll should have fun with Waller's route concepts.
Daniel Jones targeting tight ends
| NFL RANK | ||
|---|---|---|
Completion percentage | 78% | 5th |
Percent of pass attempts | 15% | 31st |
Passer rating | 112.6 | 8th |
Naturally, Waller has enjoyed his time so far with Jones and the rest of his new teammates along with Daboll and his staff.
"It's been a great challenge," Waller said. "I love a good challenge and just forming a new relationship with my teammates. They're really excited about winning. They're really solid about doing things the right way and continuing to build a foundation on what they started last year. I'm just excited to be a part of it."
