Darren Waller played five seasons for the Las Vegas Raiders. In the offseason he was then traded to the New York Giants. By his own admission, the star tight end wasn’t really expecting that.

Star tight end Darren Waller is starting a new career chapter with the New York Giants. After about five years with the Las Vegas Raiders, the 30-year-old was traded. Now Waller spoke about the hammer trade to the Giants.

Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Waller admitted that a trade was in the cards, but he didn’t expect to move to New York when it happened.

Waller: “Surprised by Giants “

“I wasn’t shocked,” Waller said of the moment he learned the Raiders were trading him. “I heard a lot of things. There were so many moments over the course of last season where I heard I might or might not get traded. So the moment itself wasn’t too shocking. But I didn’t expect it to be the Giants. “

For Waller, New York is his third stop in the NFL. In 2015, the tight end was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens. After two years in Baltimore, he was drawn to Oakland, where the Raiders were based at the time.

Waller in 2020 Pro Bowl

However, in 2017 he served a one-year suspension for taking performance-enhancing substances. In addition, Waller was struggling with his drug and alcohol addiction at the time.

In the years that followed, however, he developed into one of the league’s best tight ends. In 2019, he started all 16 games for the Raiders, and in 2020 he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Looking forward to the Giants

Over the past two seasons, however, the veteran has struggled with injuries and missed a game here and there for the Raiders. In the 2022 season, Waller scored three touchdowns in nine appearances.

With the Giants, Waller wears the number 12 – unusual for a tight end – and is the starting quarterback for Daniel Jones. Waller says of his new team that he is looking forward to the challenge: “Everyone here is eager to build on the foundation they laid last year. I’m excited to be a part of it. “