Packers interested in trading for Darren Waller

[blazin1]

According to Cheesehead TV’s Aaron Nagler, citing a pair of league sources, the Green Bay Packers are interested in trading for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller, a 2020 Pro Bowler. Per Nagler, Waller was originally part of the Davante Adams trade before the league office stepped in.

A source confirms with Acme Packing Company that the original trade compensation for the Adams trade was the 22nd overall pick and Waller, but there is an NFL rule about trading a franchise-tagged player who has yet to sign his deal for another player, which made Waller ineligible to be involved in the trade. Since Adams refused to sign the tender, the trade stalled from Monday, when the original offer was sent to the league office, until Thursday, when Waller was replaced with the Raiders’ second-round pick. A second-round pick, based on the original offer, is what I would assume is the proposed compensation for Waller in a pick-for-player trade.

Shortly after Adams was traded for, the Packers signed pass-catching tight end Robert Tonyan, still recovering from an ACL injury, to a one-year contract. That apparently isn’t stopping Green Bay from going after Waller, though, even if they could have traded that second-round pick back to the Raiders for Waller as soon as a month ago.

Waller is a great passing-downs tight end, a position that the team struggled at once Tonyan was lost for the season in 2021. Waller, who has recorded over 3,000 yards over the last three seasons, is looking for a new contract now that the guarantees have run out on his four-year, $29.8 million extension that was signed in 2019. Over the next two seasons, he is scheduled to make $6.8 million and $7 million in cash, which would equal his cap hits if traded on this current deal.

For reference, the last market-setting deal at the tight end position was George Kittle’s contract signed in 2020 for $75 million over five years ($15 million per year) that included $30 million guaranteed at signing. At the time, Kittle was a 27-year-old while Waller turns 30 in September. To say the least, there is a big difference between what Waller’s compensation will be if he honors the final two years of his contract or if this is a trade-and-sign situation like we’ve seen with Adams and Tyreek Hill earlier this offseason.

https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2022/4/25/23041873/report-green-bay-packers-packers-interested-in-trading-for-las-vegas-raiders-te-darren-waller

[DeadRinger]

So this has been really weighing on my mind.

Waller disappointed me big-time last season, I'm going to be honest. He was out a LOT and when he played he looked very mortal. He looked disinterested. He looked like he didn't want to be here. Just to give you one example, he was far less reliable last season. He had a 59% catch percentage, compared to 74% the year before. That's an ATROCIOUS drop, guys. I watched a lot of passes bounce off him. I thought he looked slow and worn out on the field. I started wondering if he was on something again.

AND he's going to be 30 this season, his skills will be rapidly declining. So he's seeing his NFL career flash before his eyes, he's feeling the injuries, he's hearing all the hype around his name and smoking his own brochure, and he's looking for that massive payday.

So we're in a position where VERY SOON, probably THIS offseason, likely happening right now, he's going to be forcing a HUGE contract or a trade. I mean, that's the reason he changed agents. You don't hire sharks unless you want to eat a ton of fucking tuna, right?

So I have a problem giving him Kelce money after last season. I actually have MAJOR reservations about that.

On the plus side in terms of trading him, he has TWO YEARS left on his team-friendly deal, so any trade partner is in a great negotiating position with him. We should be able to get a 1st round pick for him.

Personally I'd much rather keep Waller and watch him put up another 1200-yd season for us. BUT not at $20M/yr.

And I might be in the minority but I love Moreau. I know he also had a pretty lackluster year last year but I've seen too many flashes from the kid to count him out. He's a natural in the red zone. He needs some work on getting open, we should have Renfrow tutor him on that. I don't know if Moreau is really a clear-cut #1. I definitely think we should bring in another solid pass-catching TE if we ditch Waller, but Moreau gives me a sense of security if that happens.