15 March 2023 , 18:07
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NFL ace Darren Waller was traded to the New York Giants - and his WNBA star wife Kelsey Plum believes it was because Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was not invited to their wedding.
On Tuesday, Waller was traded from the Raiders to the Giants in a blockbuster move - but it ultimately has repercussions on the tight end’s marriage. WNBA guard Plum plays for the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the pair had just tied the knot in an intimate ceremony earlier this month.
Following news of the trade, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III took to social media to suggest McDaniels sanctioned the move as a wedding present to the happy couple. He wrote: “Darren Waller JUST GOT MARRIED to Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces and Josh McDaniels’ wedding present was to trade him to the New York Giants. McDaniels is NOT a romantic.”
Plum quickly snapped back, firing a shot at the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator as she wrote: “Prolly cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol.”
The trade went through just 10 days after Waller and Plum got married. McDaniels had accidentally leaked news of the wedding while speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. After his slip up, the Las Vegas Review-Journal announced the 4 March wedding date.
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Waller was reportedly upset with McDaniels in the fallout. The couple - who had been dating since last year - had not publicly revealed their plans to get married and seemed to have no intention of doing so.
Two weeks ago, McDaniels said Waller ‘will be a big part of what we’re going to do going forward’ - despite the Raiders publicly attempting to trade the Pro Bowler for more than a year as they sought draft picks. The Giants sent a third-round pick to acquire Waller, the same selection the franchise received from the Kansas City Chiefs for Kadarius Toney.
Darren Waller was traded to the New York Giants for a third-round pick (AP)Waller is a dominant tight end when healthy, but he has been hampered by injuries in the last two seasons. He was placed on injured reserve last season with a hamstring strain, while the 30-year-old missed time in 2021 due to ankle and knee sprains.
Waller had four years left on his deal after signing a three-year extension with the Raiders worth $51million back in September. However, the Giants are only guaranteed to pay him $11m for the upcoming 2023 season as there is an opt-out clause after this year.
The tight end was very productive in the two prior seasons, tallying 1,145 yards with three touchdowns in 2019 to go with 1,196 yards and nine scores in 2020, when he was named to the Pro Bowl.
Meanwhile, Plum is preparing to defend the WNBA championship with the Aces in the upcoming season, which tips off in May. She was the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, and averaged 20.2 points and 5.1 assists per game last season.