Tight end Darren Waller and the Las Vegas Raiders have reached agreement on a three-year contract extension with $51 million in new money. «This was one of the most challenging negotiations I've encountered,» said Walker's agent Drew Rosenhaus. «It is very rare for a 30-year-old player with two years left on his contract to get a new deal.» Waller is now contractually tied to the Raiders for five years and $66.25 million.
He had two years left on the four-year, $29.8 million extension he signed in 2019 but had no guaranteed money remaining. Waller was set to earn $7 million in each of the next two seasons.
Waller, who turns 30 on Tuesday, emerged as a premier tight end in 2019, when he had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns.
He followed that up in 2020 with 107 catches, 1,196 yards and 11 touchdowns. Since becoming a starter in 2019, Waller ranks second in the NFL among all tight ends in catches and yards, trailing only Kansas City's Travis Kelce in both categories.