Just five games into his role as Oakland's starting tight end, the Raiders like what they've seen from Darren Waller and want to see a lot more of it.
The Raiders are signing Waller, in the midst of a breakout season, to a contract extension through 2023 that is expected to be around $9 million per season, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday evening. Pelissero added it's essentially a three-year extension. The team later confirmed the extension.
Waller was in the final season of his current deal and would have been a restricted free agent in March.
Drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, the Raiders signed Waller off the Ravens practice squad in 2018.
Waller played in only four games in 2018, but in 2019 has come into his own and established himself as a bona fide offensive weapon.
Having battled a publicized drug addiction, Waller's rise has been a feel-good story.
So far in 2019, he's caught 37 passes for 359 yards and the Raiders are banking that production continues and grows.
