Tight end Darren Waller and the Las Vegas Raiders have come to an agreement on a three-year contract extension with $51 million in new money.
“This was one of the most challenging negotiations I’ve encountered,” said Waller’s agent Drew Rosenhaus. “It is very rare for a 30-year-old player with two years left on his contract to get a new deal.”
With this new deal, Waller is contractually tied to the organization for five years and $66.25 million. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $29.8 million extension he inked in 2019, but had no guaranteed money left. Waller was in line to earn $7 million each of the next two years.
“Darren Waller is an exemplary teammate in every way, and we’re excited to see him continue to grow as a leader on this team,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said via a statement Saturday. “Darren brings a tremendous commitment and work ethic to the building every day and we couldn’t be more thrilled that he will be a part of the Raiders Family for years to come.”
Waller, who turns 30 years-of-age on Tuesday, came on the scene as one of the best tight ends in the NFL in 2019, when he had 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. He responded in 2020 with 107 catches, 1,196 yards and 11 touchdowns. Since cracking the starting lineup three seasons ago, Waller ranks second in the NFL among all tight ends in catches and yards, behind only Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs in both categories.
Waller only appeared in 11 games in 2021, because of injuries to his ankle, his left knee and his back, plus a positive test for COVID-19. He was sidelined for the majority of Raiders training camp due to an undisclosed injury. He returned to practice one time, on August 17, but has been on the shelf since then with a hamstring injury, although he is expected to be a full participant for the team’s opener versus the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The new contract comes after Waller signed with mega-agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey on Wednesday, after moving on from Klutch Sports as his representation.
