Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller revealed some interesting details about his final days with Derek Carr, who’s now been released. The four-time Pro Bowl signal-caller will no longer call the Silver and Black his home. For the first time, Waller will start an NFL season with a quarterback other than No. 4.
In a piece originally published by Forbes, Waller shared some insight into the Carr benching from his own perspective. According to the polarizing Raiders player, he did not see Carr after the team benched the quarterback. In fact, “following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carr was sent home, and Waller never got a chance to wish him well in person.” Waller maintains contact with his now-former teammate, and it shouldn’t shock anyone that Waller remains grateful for him.
Since his debut in 2018 with the Raiders, Darren Waller has 3,469 receiving yards under his belt. Most of that yardage has come during Carr’s tenure. He was a Baltimore Ravens practice squad player prior to that. “He’s done a tremendous amount for my career. I’ll always appreciate him,” said Waller.
Both Darren Waller and Derek Carr are going into uncharted territory in 2023
Waller is currently under contract through 2026; he’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. However, the Raiders can cut him in 2024, per Spotrac. You have to figure Waller will provide a nice security blanket for whoever the new Raiders’ quarterback is. Barring No. 83 having health issues or missing more games, there’s no reason to think he won’t play a pivotal role in Josh McDaniels’ offense. As for Carr, he’s free to choose where he wants to go. The New York Jets appear to be in play despite Carr’s struggles in cold-weather games.
It’ll be interesting to see how these two fare without each other moving forward.
*Top Photo: NFL.com
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