NFL free agency takeaways: Darren Waller trade winner? Austin ...

Aaron Rodgers has yet to announce whether he plans to leave the Packers for the Jets, but other players found themselves on the move Tuesday, the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period. The Raiders sent tight end Darren Waller to the Giants, the Colts dealt cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys and the Chargers granted running back Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade.

The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Tim Graham share their thoughts on the latest news from around the NFL:

The Raiders traded tight end Darren Waller for the 100th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Which team got the better end of this deal?

Kahler: Does Darren Waller count as a team? No, seriously, Waller won this trade. The NFLPA report cards specifically called out coach Josh McDaniels and his staff as the Raiders’ lowest-graded category. The report card raved about Las Vegas’ facility but said this about McDaniels: “Player respondents felt that head coach Josh McDaniels is less likely to listen to his players and keeps them for longer hours than other head coaches around the league.” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur also reported that Waller was mad at McDaniels for leaking the date of his wedding. So, yeah. I think Waller will play a lot more this season than we saw him play last year.

Waller was upset with McDaniels when the Las Vegas Review-Journal posted a story announcing the wedding was scheduled later in the week. The couple had not publicly announced their plans to get married.

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 14, 2023

Sando: I’d take Waller over a third-round pick any day. Waller’s situation in Las Vegas was so confounding. The Raiders paid Waller before he had ever suited up for the incoming head coach, which seemed surprising. Waller wasn’t available for much of the season, including during a key game against Kansas City when Waller was active but sat out the game. The whole situation just seemed odd. Waller gets a fresh start under Giants coach Brian Daboll, who seems more adaptable than McDaniels when it comes to featuring the available talent.

Graham: This is a major victory for Giants GM Joe Schoen. The pick came from the Chiefs for receiver Kadarius Toney, so Schoen flipped a disappointing Dave Gettleman first-rounder (who, granted, has played better in Kansas City) for a unicorn. Even though the Giants made the playoffs last year, Daniel Jones needs more weapons to make a legitimate Super Bowl run. Daniel Bellinger was their top tight end with just 30 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Only four teams had lower numbers from their best tight end. Waller can match Bellinger’s production by the end of September.

The Chargers have granted running back Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade. What team would be a good fit?

Kahler: Chicago? David Montgomery is a free agent and there hasn’t been much news on where he’s headed. If he’s gone, Ekeler could be a great replacement, adding a pass-catching dynamic that Chicago hasn’t had in the position group.

Sando: Carolina could be an interesting spot with a new offensive-minded head coach in Frank Reich and a potential need to replace some of what was lost when Christian McCaffrey was traded last season.

Graham: This could be tricky. Teams aren’t paying tailbacks much anymore, so how many would be willing to not only give Ekeler a new contract, but also part with draft capital for the pleasure? Ekeler would make the Bills’ offense comprehensive, but just last year they drafted James Cook in the second round and traded for Nyheim Hines. If they were to bolster their backfield — with Devin Singletary likely gone — then free-agent Jamaal Williams is more palatable than parting with draft assets. Ekeler might just be stuck in L.A.

The Lions have added to their secondary, the Bears have started plugging their many holes, the Vikings have committed to Kirk Cousins for at least this year by restructuring the quarterback’s contract, and the Packers have indicated they’re ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers. Who’s your way-too-early pick for NFC North champion?

Kahler: Bears! Admittedly, I am swept up in the optimism in Chicago right now. I just got home from Northwestern pro day, where Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus were basking in the glory of their big week. Poles is clearly enjoying himself in this role of building the Bears back up, unlike last year when he took over with plenty of restrictions and had to shed a bunch of expensive veteran contracts. Honestly, this division is anyone’s except for the Packers’. But then again, maybe it is the Packers’, because maybe Rodgers was actually a deadweight and Jordan Love is a lot better than we all think he is. The Lions are returning all their key coaches, and the Vikings are an extremely happy team. So really, all I know for sure is that the Bears will be better and this division is going to look different without Rodgers.

Sando: It could be the Lions by default right now even though I came out of last season thinking Detroit actually might fall off some. It has seemed as though the Lions have bought into the idea that they’ll simply pick up where they left off last season. That is not necessarily how it works. But with Ben Johnson returning as offensive coordinator while the Vikings potentially regress on defense before they get better, I will lean toward Detroit.

The Vikings lose veteran CB and mentor Patrick Peterson to the Steelers. Leaves the team’s CB room quite young and quite thin. https://t.co/hCHjfESIQh

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) March 13, 2023

Graham: The road to the NFC North crown still travels through Minneapolis. While the Vikings got lucky in some of their 13 wins and have been forced to make difficult salary-cap decisions, they did win 13 games. No other NFC North club won more than nine. That’s a lot of ground to cover, especially for the 3-14 Bears, who should improve drastically in Justin Fields’ third season and with all those free-agency money bags, but not that much. The Lions have the best shot to overtake the Vikings, as Dan Campbell’s entertaining program continues to ripen and almost certainly won’t finish dead last in yards allowed again.

(Photo: Kevin Sabitus via AP)