The Giants gave Daniel Jones another gift in mid-March, acquiring tight end Darren Waller in a trade with the Raiders, one week after inking Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal.
Waller, a talented pass-catcher who was sidelined by hamstring problems in 2021 and 2022, was acquired by the Giants in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2023 draft from the Raiders.
Waller’s debut season with the Giants was marred by injuries, so it was not as successful as expected despite the excitement he created during training camp.
Joe Schoen, general manager of the Giants, stated that he has no remorse at all regarding the trade.
I would definitely do it again, Schoen said on Monday. “With Waller, I would do it again.” You guys saw him in the summer, as well as this spring, right? Regretfully, the injury occurred prior to the Dallas game. Once more, he continued to contribute to our offense when he was available. Every day of the week, I would repeat that action.”
Waller had 52 receptions for 552 yards and just one touchdown in 12 games, which put him second on the team.
After sustaining a serious hamstring strain in the Week 8 loss to the Jets, he missed five straight games.
Waller’s best seasons with the Raiders, 2019 and 2020, were very different from this one. In those seasons, he caught 197 passes and scored 12 touchdowns.
Waller’s 2024 salary cap will include $14.4 million following a contract restructuring.
The Giants will have to pay $7.8 million in dead money in order to save $6.9 million on the cap if they decide to let him go.
Schoen stated, “We’ll have those discussions with the staff, but it’s expected he’ll return.”
The end-of-season exit interviews with coach Brian Daboll and player Schoen were not attended by any player.
These meetings included incoming free agents, second-year players, and rookies.
Before heading out of the building, each player had a meeting with their position coach.
A lot of players traded autographed jerseys with their teammates.
NFL personnel do not have much access to bowl games and playoff games, according to Schoen, who did not attend Monday night’s national championship game in Houston along with his front office staff and scouts. Throughout the season, Schoen has already scouted both teams.
Ben Bredeson, a guard, intended to be at the game. In addition to being a player at Michigan, his younger brother Max starts at fullback for the Wolverines. Bredeson remarked, “He’s worked really hard on it, so I’m excited for him.”
Following three games missed due to a high ankle sprain, Saquon Barkley participated in the season’s final twelve games.
Barkley said he finished the season in good shape despite finishing with 247 rushing attempts, which is his third-highest total in his six-year career.
“My body feels good,” he declared. “I emerged in good health. Naturally, I suffered an ankle injury early in the year, but I was able to bounce back from it fairly well. In actuality, it fared much better than previous ankle injuries I experienced.
According to NFL Network, the Panthers asked to speak with Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown about their open general manager position.
