With just under a week until the Super Bowl, most of the NFL is in off-season mode. For fans worldwide, there is a drowning advisory in effect until May — you’re at risk of drowning in a sea of mock drafts.
Between the season ending and the beginning of free agency and draft events, there’s little else to do but speculate what our favorite teams may do in the future. Often, these mock drafts and free-agent signing predictions are just hopeful fantasies. But some of them are grounded in reality.
For example, if you spend time on the Green Bay Packers Twittersphere, you’ll see Darren Waller’s name come up in trade scenarios. The Las Vegas Raiders tight end fits a position of need, the team has expressed interest in this particular player, and there is a realistic way to clear cap space and create the draft capital needed to make such a trade happen. In this time of team-building fantasies, is it possible for the Packers to acquire Waller?
We know Green Bay is interested in Waller and not just in their usual “in every conversation” way. When the Packers’ front office created the trade package that sent Davante Adams to Las Vegas, acquiring Waller was in their plans. Adams for Waller and a first-round pick wouldn’t have been a bad deal. They would have gained a skilled pass catcher to replace the one they lost.
But, apparently, you can’t include another player in a trade deal for a franchise-tagged player, so the Packers “settled” for a first and a second. That didn’t stop the Packers from trying to acquire Waller again at the trade deadline. But, as it often goes in Green Bay, there was no action on the trade deadline.
So, the Packers remained Wallerless. A game-altering tight end eluded them once more. As we’ve previously written, Green Bay didn’t get much from their tight end group, and the position remains a significant area of need going forward.
How did Waller’s 2022 look in black and silver? Not amazing. Waller finished the season catching 28 of his 34 targets for 388 yards and only three touchdowns. He played in nine games, missing most of the middle of the season with a hamstring injury.
The injury is unfortunate, and the Raiders weren’t exactly good. Despite acquiring Adams, the Raiders went 6-11 and finished third in the allegedly loaded AFC West. They were the only team to lose to former analyst Jeff Saturday‘s Indianapolis Colts. It’s hard to say whether Waller would have fared better in Green Bay, but it would have been difficult to be in a much worse spot.
Once again, Waller is a popular name connected with the Packers in 2023. But it’s worth wondering whether Green Bay can afford Waller and whether they’d still want to invest in the 30-year-old tight end.
The Packers aren’t exactly flush with cap space, and Waller won’t come cheap. In September of last year, Waller signed a three-year, $51 million extension and became the highest-paid tight end in the league at that time. Waller’s cap hit is $12.04 million for 2023. Though the team has a potential out following the 2023 season, it’s a tough ask for Green Bay to find a way to fit that massive salary under the cap. So, what can they do?
No matter what, Green Bay will free up some cash by restructuring deals. But the easiest way to clear that cap space and create the capital needed to entice Vegas is the most talked about option on social media — trading Aaron Rodgers.
Derek Carr and the Raiders are heading for a messy breakup. Rodgers’ future is uncertain, and he takes up a ton of cap space. Rodgers’ favorite target plays for the Raiders. If the Packers and Aaron Rodgers are heading for a split, Vegas makes a lot of sense as a trade partner. And Waller could be a part of that deal. You’ll see this reflected in many mock drafts, though it’s mostly a fantasy. But, as far as fantasies go, this one could actually happen.
But even though Green Bay was previously interested in Waller, should they still be? Waller is only two years removed from a monstrous 2020 season, where he racked up 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns while earning Pro Bowl honors. But two years is a long time in the NFL, and Waller has missed significant time the past two seasons. Historically, the Packers haven’t loved the idea of acquiring or extending 30-plus-year-old players with a lengthy injury history.
The Packers need a game-altering tight end, and it’s a notoriously difficult position for rookies to have an immediate impact. Even one year of Waller could move the needle for the Green Bay offense. But would the Packers be getting the best version of Waller, or would this be a repeat of getting past-his-prime Jimmy Graham?
There are many variables involved in a potential trade scenario, and it ultimately depends on what Aaron Rodgers wants to do. Even with the risks involved and the difficulty of fitting Waller under the cap, a trade could be worth it. Green Bay’s offense needs a boost, and eventually, one tight end acquisition has to be the answer, right? Would Waller be the one, or would it be another swing-and-miss?
