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NFL Trade Rumors: 'Strong Indications' DK Metcalf Won't Be Moved by Seahawks
April 27, 2022
With the 2022 NFL draft approaching this week, the Seattle Seahawks reportedly seem unlikely to trade wide receiver DK Metcalf.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, there have been "strong indications" out of Seattle that the team intends to keep Metcalf since it knows the big wideout has "generational ability."
If Metcalf and the Seahawks don't agree on a long-term contract, he is set to become a free agent next offseason.
Seattle used a second-round pick on Metcalf in 2019, and the former Ole Miss standout has since exceeded expectations.
In three seasons, he has racked up 216 receptions for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns, giving him an average of over 1,000 yards and nearly 10 scores per year.
His best season was his sophomore campaign in 2020 when he racked up a career-high 83 catches for 1,303 yards to go with 10 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl nod.
Metcalf's reception and yardage production dropped last season to 75 grabs for 967 yards, but he set a new career high in touchdowns with 12.
The 6'4", 235-pound receiver had some struggles last season when quarterback Russell Wilson was out because of injury, and if the Seahawks do keep Metcalf, he will have to get used to life without the star quarterback.
Seattle dealt Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason for a huge package of draft picks and players, and the plan appears to be for Drew Lock and Geno Smith to compete for the starting job unless the Seahawks select a quarterback in the draft.
This offseason has been an eventful one for top wide receivers, with many of them looking for sizable new contracts.
Rather than signing Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill to new deals, the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs traded them to the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills gave Stefon Diggs an extension, and the Carolina Panthers did the same for DJ Moore.
Deebo Samuel, a 2019 second-rounder like Metcalf, wants a new deal as well, but he has also requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers.
Based on recent wide receiver contracts, it would take well north of $20 million per season for the Seahawks to lock in Metcalf.
Making that type of financial commitment to a wide receiver without having a long-term answer at quarterback is a risk, but since Metcalf is still only 24 years old and may have his best football ahead of him, it is perhaps a risk worth taking.
If all else fails, the Seahawks can place the franchise tag on Metcalf to keep him through at least 2023 while a final decision is made on his long-term future.