Getty Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll would lose one of his best players in this trade proposal.
Trade rumors have surrounded the Seattle Seahawks throughout the offseason, especially the Russell Wilson trade to the Denver Broncos in March signaled a rebuild. Now, as training camp opens, one writer suggested sending away another one of the team’s biggest stars.
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for first- and second-round picks in the 2023 draft.
“With [Panthers] head coach Matt Rhule likely on the hot seat after back-to-back five-win seasons, the Carolina Panthers should go all in for better results in 2022,” Moton wrote in a piece published July 25. “Despite a questionable quarterback situation, Carolina’s offense could put some fear into defenses with a healthy Christian McCaffrey in the backfield and Metcalf on the perimeter.”
Latest Buzz Surrounding DK Metcalf
The Seahawks have yet to sign Metcalf, a former second-round pick, to a long-term contract extension. He’s on the final year of his contract and set to make only around $4 million in 2022, but he’s looking to become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL after a red-hot start to his NFL career.
It’s unclear whether Metcalf will report to training camp on July 27 after he was absent from mandatory minicamp. His absence generated a lot of speculation, but head coach Pete Carroll was still optimistic at the time that a deal would get done.
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“These are crucial weeks to get something done and we’ll see what happens and hope that we can work something out,” Carroll told reporters at minicamp. “[We’ve] really intend to get that done.”
On July 25, however, NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport said the Seahawks have shut down any trade offers surrounding Metcalf but has been hard at work trying to put together a contract extension.
Other Seahawks Trade Rumors
While speculation has been swirling around Metcalf’s future in Seattle, there have been exponentially more trade rumors surrounding the Seahawks’ quarterback position.
With Baker Mayfield now with the Carolina Panthers, the top quarterback option linked to the Seahawks has been San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks have been the top projected landing spot for the 30-year-old quarterback, but offseason shoulder surgery and a hefty final year of his contract have made it hard for the 49ers to find a trade partner.
Garoppolo has been given permission to seek a trade, according to a July 21 report by The Athletic. He is expected to be fully medically cleared by mid-August, Rapoport reported on July 19, so his trade market could finally heat up in the coming weeks.
Outside of Garoppolo, few quarterback trade options remain. Former Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew has been a logical target as the backup with the Philadelphia Eagles, but at least one Seahawks analyst has discouraged the team from making that move. Green Bay Packers backup Jordan Love could be an option, but very little is known about his potential availability in a trade.
If the Seahawks don’t make a move for another quarterback before Week 1, then Drew Lock or Geno Smith will be the starter heading into the 2022 season.