Rob Gronkowski gets candid on shock Darren Waller trade with huge prediction for ex-Raiders star in NY

One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 NFL off-season came on March 15, when the Las Vegas Raiders traded star tight end Darren Waller. The Raiders agreed to trade Waller to the New York Giants in exchange for a compensatory 2023 third-round pick.

The move was a surprise as the Raiders traded away one of their best offensive playmakers, taking away a big target for newly acquired QB, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Former TE Rob Gronkowski was even surprised by the trade. He joined the Up & Adams Show hosted by Kay Adams and talked about how surprised he was by the trade, but thinks Waller is in for a prime year.

Gronkowski said:

“When I saw Darren Waller go, I was kind of very surprised because I know how much Josh McDaniels loves to use tight ends in his system, so I completely made that trade actually. But he actually went to my other coach, Brian Daboll with the New York Giants, and he loves to use TEs even more."

Gronk then added that Waller will thrive under the Giants' head coach, Brian Dabboll's system, and predicts a Pro-Bowl kind of year.

"I say this, watch Darren Waller have a year this year. He’s gonna be out there this year, Daboll is gonna find a way to utilize his skill set like no other. He’s gonna be all over the field. He’s gonna have a year. I’m saying a year, like he’s gonna have a Pro Bowl year.”

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What doers Darren Waller bring to the table in New York's offense?

Darren Waller during Las Vegas Raiders v Pittsburgh Steelers

Darren Waller is one of many new additions for the New York Giants heading into the 2023-2024 season.

New York added wide receivers Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder this off-season. They've also re-signed many of their own, including QB Daniel Jones, WRs Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, and franchise tagged RB Saquon Barkley. They also drafted WR Jalin Hyatt in the third-round of the draft.

Waller, at age 30, will be entering his ninth NFL season. He had a breakout year in 2019, where he recorded 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. The very next season, he recorded 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.

He's missed six-plus games in each of the last two seasons, which has slowed his production down, but with the NY offense being fully healthy, there's no reason why Waller can't have another Pro-Bowl season.