Getty Kansas City Chiefs players running out of tunnel at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling after trading away Tyreek Hill, the Kansas City Chiefs are still looking to add some high-level talent to their receiver room, which ESPN NFL insider Dianna Russini detailed on March 29.
“You hear the word replenish, and that’s essentially what they’re trying to do. What the Chiefs, from what I can understand, in terms of replenish, is, they’re calling teams to see if — perhaps teams that we haven’t heard about — are interested in perhaps trading one of their top receivers to Kansas City,” Russini said during ESPN’s morning show, “Get Up!”
Here’s the full clip of Dianna: t.co/vUPMULItrm
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Among the teams that could be looking to trade away some of its assets at wide receiver are the Seattle Seahawks. After trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks could be signaling that the organization is rebuilding, which could include trading off more of their quality assets to acquire more draft capital while saving money in the process.
DK Metcalf on the Trade Block?
Among the quality assets in Seattle is third-year wide receiver DK Metcalf. Metcalf has recorded at least 900 receiving yards during his first three years in the NFL, and has accumulated a total of 29 touchdowns in the same timespan, per Pro Football Reference.
Metcalf is in the final year of his rookie deal with the Seahawks, which means he will be due for a new contract in 2023. Metcalf will command a deal that pays him as one of if not the top receiver in the league. If Seattle doesn’t want to dish out that kind of money to Metcalf, it would make sense for them to trade Metcalf this season and acquire assets in exchange for him before he walks in free agency next offseason.
Although general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll said at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Florida that they intend on keeping Metcalf in Seattle, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler explained during a segment on SportsCenter on Sunday, April 3, that teams around the league believe the Seahawks are bluffing.
“This is a name that’s buzzing in league circles. No guarantee that anything happens here. “I’m told that Metcalf has gotten indications, informally from the team, that he’s not going to be traded. Seattle has said publicly they have no intention to trade him,” Fowler explained.
“But the execs I talk to keep bringing him up that maybe they would either be willing to move on at the right price or that Metcalf would welcome a change. So, something is going on here; it’s just hard to figure out what. But he’s got one year left on his rookie deal. He would need a new contract as part of a trade. That’s the tricky part.”
#Seahakws star WR DK Metcalf can be had at “the right price” despite the team saying he’s not available, league executives tell @JFowlerESPN
Seahawks Bluffed on Wilson Trade as Well
It’s worth noting that Carroll echoed similar remarks at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine regarding Wilson when it came to the team potentially trading him.
“At this time of year, there’s conversations about everybody, and it’s commonplace for us to have conversations with teams about all of the players, particularly marquee players,” Carroll said in regards to trading Seattle’s star quarterback, via NFL.com. “That’s not changed. It’s been the same every year. It’s the same.
“We have no intention of making any move there. But the conversations, John [Schneider] has to field those, he always has. But nothing specific.”
Those comments from Carroll came on March 2, which was six days prior to the blockbuster deal that sent Wilson to Denver.