As exciting as they are, professional sports are, first and foremost, a business. Tight end Darren Waller learned that fact the hard way this week with the ‘blindsiding’ trade this week that turned him from a Las Vegas Raider into a New York Giant.
When speaking to media from the Big Apple, Waller did admit the trade came as a shock to him. He was preparing to rehab for next season in Las Vegas. Now, he is having to shift that focus to doing so for the Giants.
“I did not see this coming,” Darren Waller said. “I was getting ready to just do everything I could to make myself available for the Raiders. And get ready for everything that was going to start in mid-April. It caught me off guard but it’s the nature of the business.”
However, Darren Waller plans on giving his best in order to prove to New York that he can be a healthy, productive player for them. He has a lot to prove to his new franchise coming in after appearing in just nine games in 2022. It might not have been a part of his plan but, now that it is, Waller wants to be the most valuable asset that he can be.
“I believe wholeheartedly in myself. And I believe that through action and through consistent performance? New York Giants fans will believe as well,” Waller said. “They can have questions at this moment about my health. Those are legitimate concerns, but I’m somebody that believes I’ve addressed those issues. I’m willing to come out here and to be the best I can be to be a weapon for this team. A tool that this team can use to get to that next level that they want to go to. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Darren Waller likely wasn’t expecting to be leaving Sin City so soon. His new bride Kelsey Plum, a guard for the Las Vegas Aces, seems like she wasn’t planning on it either. Still, that’s his reality now and, as such, it sounds like he’s fully committed on bringing his best to MetLife Stadium for next season.
