Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.
All eyes are on DK Metcalf’s future with the Seattle Seahawks as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. The rising price for wide receivers around the NFL complicates Metcalf’s future with the Seahawks for two key reasons. The obvious factor is Metcalf’s likely new deal continues to get more expensive with Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill signing new contracts that reset the receiver market with an average annual salary range between $28 to $30 million.
The other reason is more complicated as the Seahawks may be able to get a king’s ransom if they opt to trade Metcalf. Not only would the Seahawks be off the hook for Metcalf’s massive contract extension, but Seattle would land a package of draft picks to help in their rebuilding efforts.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine noted that the Eagles are a team to watch if the Seahawks explore potential deals for Metcalf. Ballentine’s trade proposal has the Seahawks landing the No. 15 and No. 83 picks in the upcoming draft for Metcalf. The Eagles would also send the Seahawks a 2023 third-round selection in the trade. Seattle would then have four picks inside the top 41 selections if they pulled the trigger on this blockbuster trade.
The Seahawks making the move would be full of controversy as Metcalf is the one remaining star on the roster. Losing Metcalf after releasing Bobby Wagner and trading Russell Wilson would be a hard sell for a frustrated fan base.
ALL the latest Seahawks news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Seahawks newsletter here!
The Seahawks Are Using the Same Language About Metcalf’s Future as They Did With Wilson
.@dkm14 on his initial reaction to the Russell Wilson trade: “I was very shocked, because I never thought he was going to leave Seattle.”
Throughout the offseason, the Seahawks have spoken glowingly about Metcalf and how the team wants to sign the receiver to an extension. Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters at the NFL owners meetings that the team’s “intent” is to re-sign Metcalf. Head coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks “intend” for Metcalf to have a long-term future in Seattle.
If this is giving you flashbacks it should as the Seahawks used similar phrasing about Wilson’s future during the NFL Combine. Days later, the Seahawks agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Broncos sending the franchise quarterback to Denver.
“News of the Wilson trade broke a week after Carroll told reporters at the scouting combine that he had ‘no intention’ of parting with him,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson wrote on March 30. “The plan changed, per Carroll, when Denver made the Seahawks a better offer than anticipated. The lesson: Seattle’s intent to extend Metcalf hardly assures it’ll happen.”
Metcalf Is the Seahawks’ Lone Box-Office Draw Remaining on the Roster
The Seahawks have few stars remaining on the roster after releasing Wagner and trading Wilson. Seattle signed Tyler Lockett to a long-term deal last offseason, but Metcalf is the lone box office draw remaining on the Seahawks roster. The point of draft picks and cap space is to find star players like Metcalf.
The package of picks is tempting but there is no guarantee any of the selections will turn into a player like Metcalf. As for the financial savings, the Seahawks have rarely taken big swings in free agency, instead mostly looking for bargains outside of re-signing their own players. Schneider admitted to having a “holy s***” moment this offseason when considering Metcalf’s future along with the rising price of wideouts.
“I was talking to my buddies about it the other night and we were like, ‘Holy s***, man,’” Schneider told The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar. “It is what it is now, right? This is the market. We’ll get to that when we get to it. There is a bit of ‘Whoa,’ then you have to figure out, ‘OK, where’s the cap going? What is it going to look like? How do you build your team?’ We do that every day.”
Seahawks Could Land 2 Top-50 Picks as Part of Trade for Metcalf
“It’s time for me to step up and be a leader. It’s my time in Seattle now.” – DK Metcalf 🔥🔥🔥
What are your thoughts?🤔
Dugar sees some similarities to Metcalf and the team’s decision to trade Frank Clark to the Chiefs in 2019 rather than signing the pass rusher to a lucrative extension. The Seahawks insider added that Seattle could likely land two top-50 draft selections in a trade for Metcalf.
“Clark netted a fair amount of trade compensation,” Dugar explained on April 1. “Metcalf would command a similar haul, netting a pair of top-50 picks and then some. Receiving a bunch of draft picks would give Seattle the chance to reload the position. However, there’s no guarantee this is a success, a lesson the Seahawks have learned in recent years.”