Raiders tight end Darren Waller was a virtual unknown six months ago, but only one tight end (Travis Kelce) put up more receiving yards than Waller in 2019 and he is now sitting on a nearly $30 million contract extension he signed during the season.
Waller was a guest on the Raiders Cody Podcast on Friday and he talked about his relationship with Jon Gruden and how Gruden’s confidence in him (which he said initially put pressure on him) helped him develop into one of the league’s most dynamic tight ends.
Waller also talked about the offseason speculation around Derek Carr. He said the conversations and rumors around Carr didn’t mesh with what he was seeing behind the scenes.
“I’m in the building every day and I see the chemistry between the quarterback and the coach, and the general manager coming around and just how everyone feels about having our quarterback in the building and the impact he has on our team,” Waller said. “I guess people may think that because our team is young that they may want someone fresh in there. I don’t know. I can’t really find a good reason because I see all the reasons that [Carr] should still be here and I’m extremely grateful that he is still with us.”
Regardless of who the Raiders draft at the end of the month, Waller figures to be the focal point of the Raiders passing attack again in 2020. Schematically, defenses were able to focus on Waller last year and the addition of a player like CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy should open up even more opportunities for Waller going forward.
In other words, get ready for another big year for Waller in 2020. Draft him in your fantasy leagues again… just don’t expect to get him in the 13th round of your draft like you did last year.
twitter: @raidersbeat
