In the aftermath of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr‘s emotional press conference following last Sunday’s loss to the Colts, there was some speculation that Carr was talking about tight end Darren Waller when calling out teammates’ effort.
Carr said Wednesday that wasn’t the case. But the quarterback and Waller still talked it out, according to the tight end.
“We know each other,” Waller said Thursday, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We know how we’ve shown up, and we’ve been teammates for four years, so those kinds of things don’t affect our relationship. We just know that’s the way things go sometimes and nobody’s trying to take those things personal.”
Waller was placed on injured reserve last week, so it’s somewhat hard to see how he would’ve helped in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s game.
While dealing with injuries, Waller has played just five games this year. He has 16 catches for 175 yards with a touchdown. He was last on the field in Week Five, when he played eight snaps and suffered a hamstring injury in the loss to the Chiefs.
That came after he signed a three-year, $51 million extension with Las Vegas in September.
“I get it,” Waller said. “When it comes down to a season where you’re not meeting expectations, and a dude has signed a shiny new contract and there’s big expectations for him, it’s frustrating. People can throw me under the bus and blame me. It is what it is and how it’s going to be. I know how it goes, and I’m tough enough to handle it.”
The Raiders have plenty more problems than just Waller, who would e unlikely to solve all the team’s offensive issues anyway. In Week Three, he had three receptions on five targets for 22 yards. In Week Four, he similarly put up 24 yards on three receptions with five targets.
Like receiver Hunter Renfrow, Waller is eligible to come off IR for the Week 14 Thursday matchup Rams.
Darren Waller: People can throw me under the bus, I’m tough enough to handle it originally appeared on Pro Football Talk