National Football League

Packers reportedly interested in Raiders TE Darren Waller

Published Apr. 26, 2022 4:46 p.m. ET

The Green Bay Packers' arsenal is about as scarce as they come in the National Football League.

And while Aaron Rodgers will continue as quarterback for the foreseeable future, after cashing in on a sizable new deal, it's unclear if the Pack will replace some of Rodgers' favorite receiving targets — including Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

The pair's departures have left what Colin Cowherd has labeled as nothing more than "B" receivers for Rodgers to try and make headway with as the 2022 season approaches.

Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb headline the group, and despite all making their marks as reliable pass-catching threats in the NFL, none are considered among the premier pros.

But Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has certainly earned that consideration.

The 6-foot-6, 255-pound TE is a behemoth of a target and has utilized his wide frame, glue-like hands and sneaky speed to quickly make a name for himself in the league.

And Waller has reportedly been on Green Bay's radar for a while now.

Colin Cowherd is well aware of the hype surrounding the potentiality, but in his estimation, the commotion is simply that: hype.

"Why would the Raiders trade him?" Cowherd questioned on "The Herd."

"He's only a $7 million cap hit. Darren Waller's probably the second-best tight-end talent in the NFL. The new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels knows the value of tight ends. He had [Rob] Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Yeah, I think Green Bay would like to have Darren Waller. But why would this leak if it was really close?

"By the way, Derek Carr made fun of this move today. … The idea that they'd let go of maybe their best weapon — the Raiders may not get another guy like him in the next 15 years — makes no sense to me."

Packers eyeing Raiders TE Darren Waller, Deebo Samuel-49ers I THE HERD

FOX Sports analyst Greg Olsen joins Colin Cowherd to discuss the biggest NFL news, including the Darren Waller-Green Bay Packers rumors.

Green Bay knows exactly what its top need is ahead of the draft.

"The last few [drafts] have been pretty deep [in receivers], and I think this one is another one," general manager Brian Gutekunst said Monday, via the team's official website. "But history still kind of shows that for all rookies, not just wide receivers, but for all rookies, it takes time. This is a hard league. There's a learning curve before these guys really start to produce at a high level."

"I think we've got a pretty good quarterback and that helps significantly, so certainly I think there's probably going to be more opportunity for that young player if we happen to go that route to come in and have some opportunities," Gutekunst added. "Hopefully it'll be quicker if we go that route this year ... but I will say we got some pretty good players in the building that I think are very eager for their opportunity, which maybe they haven't had yet."

Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Drake London, Treylon Burks, George Pickens, are just some of the available receiving prospects at WR, and G.B. likely has its eyes on each one.