Raiders News: Darren Waller Claims He’ll Play Week 1 Amid Contract Talks

With the addition of Davante Adams this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders have perhaps the best group of pass catchers in the entire NFL. And what could truly put them over the top is exceptionally talented tight end Darren Waller.

Injuries severely hampered Waller’s 2021 season, but his game-breaking ability is not mistaking the impact he has when healthy. But something else that has been an issue for Waller is his contract, which sees him outside of the top 15 highest-paid tight ends, a travesty in whatever way you look at it.

But with the season just around the corner, Waller admitted he isn’t sure if he’ll be receiving a new deal but isn’t focused on it right now, as he told Tashan Reed of The Athletic:

“We’ll see, man,” Waller said of getting a new deal, via The Athletic. “There’s not really a lot of things that I can control, you know? I have faith in my representation. Whether it goes one way or it doesn’t, I’ll be playing football. I’ll just let it happen how it does.”

Waller has two more years left on his deal at $6.25 million per year and also changed representation to Drew Rosenhaus this offseason. Waller missed much of training camp due to a hamstring injury, but some speculated that it was actually a holdout. Waller refuted that notion, however:

“It’s tough man because I did want to be out there, but I was a little banged up,” he said, per the Associated Press. “It’s a lot to process mentally, but it be like that sometimes, it’s a whole bunch of ebbs and flows in this league.”

But one thing for sure is that Waller wants to be with the Raiders. He believes a deal will get done, but he isn’t focused on that, he is focused on the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, a game for which he will be ready for:

“Communication has been there with my previous representation and now,” Waller said. “I’m cool with that, and yeah it takes time, maybe a little longer than expected. But I trust them, they’ve been open with me. I really respect (Raiders GM) Dave (Ziegler) and how he’s gone about the process. I believe in this organization, I believe in my representation, so yeah, I feel like it will get done.

“I can attack the season now. We’re at Week 1, so nothing that happened before matters.”