Darren Waller is Strictly Focused on Week 1 Amidst All Other Noise

As far as offseasons go, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has had as busy of a summer as one can have in the NFL.

Despite dealing with a full offseason of recovery, a departure from his agency, and talks of a potential contract that has not yet been offered, Waller has been able to remain focused on the task at hand, and that is currently preparing for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of the 2022-23 NFL season.

"I feel like when it comes to playing in this league, there's nothing I get more excited about than playing against teams that are loaded with talent because they're going to bring the best out of you," Waller told media members after Tuesday's practice. "You look at the Chargers, the way that they invested in people on their defense, we're excited to line up against them and same as with the defense."

Waller is eligible for a hefty contract, but whether it comes in the near future or not, the former Pro Bowler knows the mission right now is on the gridiron.

"There's not really a lot of things that I control," Waller said. "I have faith in my representation and whether it goes one way or it doesn't, I'll be playing football, so [I will] just let it happen how it does."

While Waller did not have as significant of an impact on last season as he would have liked, he understands he cannot afford to dwell on the past.

"I just try to look at it for what it is," Waller said. "Like OK there's 'I wish I could have been out there in that time that I missed,' but at the same time, yeah, it's time for me to make sure that things are in line as far as my body, make sure mentally I'm in a place of peace and I can attack the season now. And we're at Week 1, so nothing that happened before now matters."

Blocking out extracurriculars is nothing Waller is unfamiliar with having to do.

"It's something I had to learn since I started getting sober ... things may not go exactly how you want them to go but that shouldn't affect commitment that you have to show up somewhere and give it your best, so I just try to honor that and not just talk about it, but actually have it be a part of my character," Waller said.

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