Not too long ago, Darren Waller celebrated becoming the highest-paid tight end in the National Football League on a per-year basis. With 3,006 receiving yards on 252 receptions in a three-year span, the Las Vegas Raiders elected to give their Pro Bowl tight end a three-year, $51 million extension.
And with the pen hitting the paper, Waller was effectively locked into Sin City’s future plans.
The thing about plans, however, is they can change quickly. Waller found that out the hard way.
Before the first year of his new deal had even kicked in, the Pro Bowl pass-catcher found himself involved in a trade that shipped him across the country. In exchange for Waller, the New York Giants would send a third-round pick to Las Vegas.
A pick that would eventually become Tre Tucker.
But while Tucker is the player who was essentially swapped for Waller, Jakobi Meyers is who fans use to judge the trade. The reason? The then-Raiders regime unloaded Waller’s deal with the sole intent to use the freed up money on signing Meyers.
Meyers has since accumulated 1,834 receiving yards with 158 catches, putting six on the board 12 times. Waller, on the other hand, posted 341 yards with 52 catches and one touchdown in 2023 prior to sitting out in 2024 by way of retirement.
It’s easy to see why the final verdict is the Las Vegas Raiders came out on top.
Things are about to get interesting, however. That’s because Darren Waller opted to come out of retirement to sign with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal.
In the meantime, Meyers enters his final year on his current contract with Sin City potentially having a replacement ready in second-round receiver Jack Bech.
Depending on how Waller performs during his ’25 campaign, this may be a trade worth revisiting. And if Waller has a full career resurgence while Meyers moves onto the next chapter of his career, a completely new verdict may be on the horizon.
In any event, Meyers has undoubtedly become an integral part of the Raiders’ offense.
