Green Bay Packers tried to trade for TE Darren Waller at deadline

The Green Bay Packers again came up empty at the trade deadline, but from the sounds of it, they were interested in several players, including Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Packers made a “strong run” at Waller prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline, but the Raiders weren’t willing to part with Waller after just signing him to a three-year extension.

This also isn’t the first time that the Packers have been linked to Waller. Reportedly they wanted him as part of the trade package for Davante Adams. However, that deal fell through because Adams had yet to sign the franchise tag, which per NFL rules, meant that players couldn’t be swapped as part of the trade package.

The addition of Waller would have added some needed playmaking and consistency to the Packers’ offense. During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Waller eclipsed the 1,100-yard receiving mark each year. He also totaled 665 yards in only 11 games in 2021 at 12.1 yards per catch, according to PFF ($$). Waller has, however, battled injuries the last two seasons.

Robert Tonyan has been a very reliable target this season, catching 80% of his passes, but he’s averaging just 8.2 yards per catch. Meanwhile, the receiver position has dealt with injuries and inconsistency, leading to a Green Bay passing game that has struggled to move the ball with chunk plays.

We do not know what the trade compensation would have been to acquire Waller, but with a cap hit in 2022 of $11.1 million and $12.6 million in 2023, there would have had to be some financial maneuvers made by the Packers to fit Waller under their salary cap this season as well as next–although, given Green Bay’s willingness to acquire Waller, those are cap hits they must have been able to absorb.

Currently, Over the Cap has the Packers with $6.9 million in cap space at the moment, along with just $4.6 million available in 2023.

In addition to Waller, Rapoport and Pelissero reported that the Packers were also in on Chase Claypool, who they offered a second-round pick for, as well as DJ Moore, but Carolina was not willing to deal him.

It’s the same old story for the Packers, who always seem to be in the mix, but rarely does anything ever result from the conversations.