Although the prospect of the Raiders tabling an extension to 2023 surfaced during the offseason, Darren Waller is now with Drew Rosenhaus. The powerful agent said the plan is to hammer out a deal as soon as possible, via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
After leaving Klutch Sports recently, Waller signed with Rosenhaus on Wednesday. This notable representation switch could push this matter to a front-burner item for the Raiders, who have already done a few big-ticket extensions this offseason. Waller’s current contract has been out of step with his value for a while; the Pro Bowl tight end appears to be taking action.
A $16MM-per-year contract has been floated during Waller’s talks with the Raiders, though extension conversations are not believed to have progressed too far. Two years remain on Waller’s current contract, one that has — in terms of AAV — dropped to 17th among tight ends. The veteran pass catcher is tied to $6.25MM base salaries in 2022 and 2023.
Despite changing regimes this offseason, the Raiders paid Derek Carr, Hunter Renfrow and Maxx Crosby. Renfrow is now tied to a $16MM-per-year deal — more than double Waller’s $7.6MM-AAV accord. Waller signed his deal back in 2019, when he was in the process of crafting a belated breakout after substance-abuse issues nearly derailed his career. But the tight end market has changed considerably since then, with George Kittle and Travis Kelce pushing it past $14MM on average. Kittle’s $15MM-per-year deal tops the market.
It is understandable why Waller would not want to wait until 2023 for a new deal to come to pass. After trading away Amari Cooper and seeing their Antonio Brown deal combust before the mercurial superstar played a game in Oakland, the Raiders relied on Waller for years. The Jon Gruden-era reclamation project rewarded the team by producing back-to-back 1,100-yard receiving seasons — a feat few tight ends in NFL history have accomplished. Far less acclaimed tight ends have passed him on the market, with David Njoku‘s $13.7MM-AAV Browns deal being the most glaring example.
Waller will also turn 30 in September and is coming off a season in which an ankle injury forced him to miss extensive time down the stretch. With Waller dealing with a hamstring malady now, the Raiders could also exercise caution and force him to prove his value in a new offense. It will be interesting to see how the parties proceed here, as this now appears to be an issue that will not wait until 2023.
If he wants a deal now it has to be heavily based on incentives.
That’s going to be a non-starter for a top 3 TE. They’ve got to go at least 14m if they’re serious about signing him, I think. They may not need to set a new bar with him, but it’s going to need to be in the realm.
If he played every game last year I would agree with you. But he is 30 and has not been healthy for quite some time. Give him an incentive laden deal that could make him the #1 paid TE. But you can’t have #1 money for not playing.
I can understand your position there, but he’s going to want some financial security to do a deal. If you tie the entire thing to incentives, I think he scoffs. At that point, if I were his agent, I’d advise him to play out the deal and force them to franchise you next year.
If I were the Raiders, I’d offer 3yrs/14m and see if he bites. I’m not scared of the AAV, just going any longer than 3 years on it
Agreed on the length but I think they’ll have to give him the highest AAV to get him to accept the shorter term deal
I wouldn’t be mad if they set a new bar for him if they keep it 3 years or shorter. The risk to me seems fairly minimal, and no greater than any other deal