The New York Giants made an aggressive move this offseason when they traded for tight end Darren Waller, but the former Raiders star almost joined a New England Patriots rival.
Las Vegas dealt the 30-year-old Pro Bowler for a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The pass-catcher market was an unremarkable one, and New York knew it had to make a move to help out Daniel Jones, who signed a huge extension.
The move was an awkward one since Waller recently married Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum prior to the trade, which sparked a hilarious reaction from the WNBA star.
But there was a potential deal last season with two teams that expressed interest in acquiring the tight end, according to Drew Rosenhaus.
“… The Raiders were in negotiations last year to trade Darren,” Waller’s agent said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. “Darren was nearly traded last offseason. I think the Packers and (Miami) Dolphins were very interested in Darren at that time, but the trade didn’t happen. The Raiders pulled back right before those deals could get done. …”
There was a report last season from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero that stated Green Bay pursued Waller and D.J. Moore, another Rosenhaus client, who was traded to the Chicago Bears, before the trade deadline.
The Dolphins seemingly weren’t high on Mike Gesicki last season due to his lack of fit in Mike McDaniel’s offense, which is why they let him walk, and the New England Patriots signed the tight end this offseason.
Waller has missed significant time due to injury in the past two seasons, but the move presents huge upside for a Giants team with loftier goals than a divisional-round exit.
