LISTEN: Darren Waller definitively addresses Green Bay Packers trade rumor

The 2022 NFL Draft is less than 24 hours away and trade rumors have been heating up the past few days that the Green Bay Packers would make a move for Las Vegas Raiders’ all-world tight end Darren Waller. However on late Wednesday night, Waller shot down such rumors and said that the Raiders told him he’s staying in Las Vegas, in an interview with Zach Gelb of CBS Sports.

Listen to the audio here:

Darren Waller told me the Raiders told him he isn’t getting traded. @CBSSportsRadio

pic.twitter.com/uTUvEPHGnb

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) April 28, 2022

In the interview, Waller let everyone know that the Raiders told him the trade is not happening.

“Yeah, I’ve had talks with the team. They said it’s not a thing that’s happening. There’s no trade that’s going to happen. Like I said, we’re just focused on football and getting better. Learning the system and seeing where it’s going to take us this year,” Waller said in the interview on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

It made sense that the Packers were attempting to make a push for Waller since they have so many draft picks this weekend. Green Bay has a dire need for pass catchers with the departure of Davante Adams to the Raiders. That being said, Waller is one of the league’s top three tight ends and it was unlikely that Carr or Las Vegas executives were going to part ways with the uber-athletic pass catcher.

Waller had his breakout seasons during the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Raiders. In 2019, he pulled in 90 catches for 1,145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. In 2020, he reeled in 107 catches for 1,196 yards, and nine touchdowns. His 2020 numbers were good enough to punch his ticket to the Pro Bowl that offseason and there is no doubt he earned every bit of it.

While Waller did not truly emerge as one of the best players in the league until the 2019 season, he’s still got plenty of great years ahead of him and he remains one of the NFL’s most inspirational stories. He’s battled an extreme addiction with oxycodone, cocaine, and alcohol in the past. The freakish tight end has overcome all of that in order to become truly one of the league’s elite talents. Standing at 6-foot-6, 238 pounds, Waller was clocked at a blistering 4.46 40-yard dash time at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. His remarkable blend of size, speed, athleticism, and hands make him one of the biggest mismatches in the game today.

While he had to battle injuries last season, there’s no question the Raiders’ passing attack is going to be incredibly exciting next season with Waller paired with Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow–truly two of the best route runners in the game today.