Seeking a No. 1 weapon for their new $160 million quarterback, the New York Giants have just boosted the floor of their offense in a big way. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are returning to the Big Apple next season, but they’ll also be joined by Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller.
According to Tom Pelissero, the Giants have agreed to trade a third-round pick (No. 100 overall), for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.
Amazingly, the 100th pick is what the Giants got back for trading Kadarius Toney, their 20th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft to the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Only now, instead of using the selection on another unproven talent in the 2023 NFL Draft, Giants general manager Joe Schoen flipped the pick for one of the best tight ends in football.
- Darren Waller stats in 2020: 104 catches, 1,196 yards, 9 TDs
Waller has battled some injuries in each of the past two seasons, making it through just 20 games, but he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard years from 2019-2020, which is no small feat for a tight end.
At his best, Waller is one of the quickest players at his position. Combine that with his impressive 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame, and it’s not hard to envision just how much of a problem he can be for opponents when he’s at 100%.
Under contract through 2026, Waller is set to have a cap hit of $11.87 million in 2023. This trade takes a lot of pressure off the Giants’ front office to either shed out big bucks to a free-agent receiver like Odell Beckham Jr. or target another pass-catcher with their first-round pick in April. While the Giants likely aren’t done adding talent to their receiver room, Waller’s addition greatly reduces the need.
Waller was no longer the top option with the Raiders once Davante Adams arrived, but the moment he gets off the plane in New Jersey, Waller will be the No. 1 target in town. Now with Waller stretching the seam along with Saquon Barkley instilling fear out of the backfield, the Giants finally have some legitimate threats for Danny Dimes to toy with.
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