In the midst of a chaotic NFL offseason that seems to see a superstar traded every day, could DK Metcalf be next?
The Seahawks sparked a rebuild when they sent Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson to the Broncos in exchange for a load of draft picks. Metcalf, a 2019 second-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the team must decide whether or not to extend it.
You’d think they’d do it for a player of his caliber, but considering how teams have unloaded the truck to win wide receivers this offseason (see: Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams), Metcalf would be an obvious one Commercial candidate if you want to start in a completely rebuild.
At NFL owners’ meetings, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider both claimed they were interested in incarcerating Metcalf.
“We intend for him to be with us,” Carroll said, per ESPN. “We’d like to find out. We are in normal mode this time of year. We’re not specific on this topic yet because we have so many other things going on. But we would like him. I couldn’t imagine playing without him.”
DK Metcalf with the Seahawks in 2021. Getty Images
Schneider also said their “intent” was to sign Metcalf on a long-term deal. But for now, their de facto quarterback is Drew Lock. Expecting to compete in the loaded NFC West seems like a tough one, even with the Seahawks targeting Baker Mayfield.
Adams and Hill have both defined the market for wide receiver contracts, each averaging nearly $30 million in value. Metcalf’s agent will likely want something similar, which is a tough proposition for a rebuild team without a quarterback.
“It is what it is now, right?” Schneider said about the rising value for wide receivers. “This is the market. So we’ll get to that when we get to it. But yeah, there’s a bit of “whoa,” but then you have to figure out: OK, well, where does the cap go? How will it look? How do you build your team? We do this every day, we keep moving things around.”
The Seahawks had previously pitched Tyler Lockett as a potential trade partner, but Metcalf is five years his junior and, in theory, a team wouldn’t need to renew him right away. The Seahawks could let him play in the final year of his rookie contract, but they risk losing him for nothing in 2023 and only reaping the benefits of his game in a season when they don’t anticipate rivals in their own division.
It’s been a wild offseason and with smoke gathering around Metcalf, a trade at this point shouldn’t shock anyone.