Getty The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly searching to acquire a wide receiver in a trade this offseason.
As rumors about the future of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson continue to swirl, Seattle may be focused on a different position.
“The Seahawks have been asking around on the receiver market,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote in a story published March 6. “That’s interesting because they are already loaded at wideout. Maybe they just want depth … or maybe it’s something more.”
Regarding the Seahawks’ quarterback, “there isn’t much momentum for Wilson to be traded,” according to Fowler and ESPN’s Dan Graziano in the same story.
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DK Metcalf’s Contract Situation
As Fowler wrote, Seattle appears set at wide receiver, with DK Metcalf, 24, and Tyler Lockett, 29, Metcalf and Lockett combining for 2,142 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in 2021.
In 2020, Metcalf and Lockett each scored 10 touchdowns while exceeding 1,000 receiving yards. The two are arguably the top wideout duo in the NFL.
Metcalf is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Spotrac projects his value to be worth a four-year, $82.49 million deal with an average annual salary of $20.6 million. Lockett, meanwhile, is signed through the 2025 season, with the Seahawks having an out after the 2023 season.
On February 18, Metcalf revealed to Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks his dream of competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It’s unclear whether that may have an impact on his contract negotiations.
Behind Metcalf and Lockett on the Seahawks receiver depth chart, there’s more uncertainty. Rookie Dee Eskridge had 10 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown with 59 rushing yards in 10 games in 2021. He missed seven games because of a concussion.
Former Seahawks scout and Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy compared Eskridge with Deebo Samuel, the San Francisco 49ers‘ All-Pro, on a February 10 appearance on “Jake and Stacy” on 710 ESPN Seattle.
“[Eskridge is] not as strong as Deebo, not as sturdy as Deebo, but he is a guy that you can be creative with,” Nagy said. “He’s got that kind of explosive playmaking ability. So I think it’s just a matter of Dee getting healthy.”
The Trade Market at Wide Receiver
In his report, Fowler did not elaborate on which receiver the Seahawks might be interested in acquiring.
The biggest-named wide receiver that might be available on the trade market is Atlanta Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley. But after announcing his departure from the Falcons on October 31 to work on his mental health, it’s still unclear whether Ridley would return for the 2022 season.
Ridley had stayed out of the public until March 4, when he tweeted: “Football is life.”
🏈 Is life
Ridley’s best season was 2020, when he posted 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year, he had 31 receptions, 281 yards and two touchdowns in five games.
Another intriguing option for the Seahawks could be Amari Cooper. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on March 4 that the Dallas Cowboys are “likely” to release the former first-round pick by the beginning of free agency.
Cowboys are “likely” to release WR Amari Copper by the start of the new league year, per league sources.
Cooper is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on the fifth day of the new league year, March 20.
Cooper had 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Cooper, who turns 28 in June, has posted five 1,000-yard seasons in his seven-year career.
It could be difficult for the Seahawks to trade for a top receiver because they don’t have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Signing Cooper may prove to be hard as well because he figures to be a highly sought-after commodity in free agency.
But if Seattle is truly interested in upgrading wide receiver, then that should at least give Seahawks fans confidence that a Wilson trade is not very likely.