DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks is predicted to be the NFL’s next $100 million wide receiver — and one analyst is pleading with the Chicago Bears to try to trade for him before he inks that extension with his current team.
Robert Schmitz of SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron is driving the Metcalf-to-the-Bears hype train, and he thinks the Bears should send their 2023 first-round draft pick to Seattle in exchange for Metcalf before signing him to a lucrative extension.
With the majority of experts and analysts picking the Bears to finish with a sub-.500 record in 2022, Schmitz thinks Chicago’s 2023 first-rounder will be a “potential top-10, likely top-16” pick, and he thinks that could be enough to sway Seattle enough to trade the young WR.
ALL the latest Bears news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Bears newsletter here!
Schmitz: Now Is the Time to Act
Schmitz wrote that the Bears, who have been extremely frugal in free agency under new general manager Ryan Poles, need to trade for a star WR now instead of waiting to see who’s still available on the open market in 2023.
“In a sense this is building through the draft — so long as you don’t spend more than 1 pick, you’re still ‘using a pick to acquire elite talent.’ This is especially true since elite talent doesn’t hit FA anymore — you can’t ‘just pay’ for a WR1 in free agency,” he tweeted.
@RealMikeyBets In a sense this is building through the draft — so long as you don’t spend more than 1 pick, you’re still “using a pick to acquire elite talent”.
This is especially true since elite talent doesn’t hit FA anymore — you can’t “just pay” for a WR1 in free agency.
“As much as I love Metcalf, he’s no Tyreek Hill or DaVante Adams — I think the promise that a pick between 6th-16th offers is enough to move a player that might already want out,” Schmitz noted, also making another strong point:
“Players like Metcalf don’t make it to the open market nowadays. If one of the most obvious cut candidates of the last 5 years (Amari Cooper) can garner a trade, a 24-year-old 1,000-yard WR can draw a trade package.”
@Coop_A_Loop54 Players like Metcalf don’t make it to the open market nowadays. If one of the most obvious cut candidates of the last 5 years (Amari Cooper) can garner a trade, a 24-year-old 1,000 yard WR can draw a trade package
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Metcalf Predicted to Ink $100 Million Extension
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler thinks the Philadelphia Eagles’ trade for wideout A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft coupled with Brown’s four-year, $100 million extension sets the tone for Metcalf to be the league’s next $100 million WR.
“I think if you’re (Metcalf’s agent) Tory Dandy, you set up that deal as a baseline,” Fowler about Brown’s deal on the June 8 episode of the “You Pod to Win the Game” podcast. “DK can’t take less than that, I don’t think.”
The 24-year-old wide receiver has established himself as one of the most promising young wideouts in the NFL over his three seasons. QBs had a 110.5 passer rating when targeting Metcalf in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus. His career rating is an impressive 112.1 when targeted. Metcalf’s 12 receiving touchdowns ranked fourth in the league in 2021, and he dropped just four passes on 124 targets. He has 216 catches for 3,170 yards and 29 TDs in three seasons.
“Execs I talk to believe he’s got a trade market, that teams have called or at least made some overtures to feel out whether he’d be available,” Fowler said on a June 12 episode of “SportsCenter,” via Bleacher Report. “Seattle has not really pressed that issue. They want to get something done with him long-term. It just depends on if they can get the right money.”
The Bears have just under $24 million in cap space as of June 15, per Over the Cap, and they’re set to have over $99 million in 2023, so they can unquestionably afford a splash deal like this. The only question is whether Poles and company would surprise the league with a move like this.
READ NEXT: Potential Bears’ Starter Carted Off During Team Practice: Report
Comments
Analyst Says Bears Should Trade for Projected $100 Million WR