Why Seahawks won't get a 1st for DK Metcalf
What will the Seahawks be able to get in trade for DK Metcalf?
We saw this day coming for months, if not years. DK Metcalf requested a trade on Wednesday for the very simple reason that he signed a three-year extension in 2022 with the intention to become a free agent again before he turns 30. Because receivers of DK’s caliber always ask for an extension before the final year of a contract, it was written in the stars since the beginning that March of 2025 would be the point of ultimatum:
“PAY ME OR TRADE ME!”
The Seattle Seahawks are doing the right thing. They’re trying to trade him because every piece of evidence we have points to third contracts and over-29 receivers being bad investments. Seaside Joe readers knew this day was coming for over a year and I can prove it.
This is a brief history of my expectation that this day would come in reverse chronological order:
February 5, 2025 - “WR is a buyer’s market”
DK Metcalf is set to make $18 million in salary and $4 million in a bonus, none of which is guaranteed. He has probably been angling for $32 million per season, a payment he expects in 2025, but how could the Seahawks possibly look at the market (and Metcalf’s last season) and think that’s good value? Or even $27 million per season as good value?
The answer is that they can’t.
January 23, 2025 - “What can Seahawks get for DK?”
And if they can trade Metcalf for a second round pick, then replacing him with Bobo or a rookie or a free agent becomes even more valuable.
January 6, 2025 - “This is what the Seahawks should trade DK Metcalf for”
It has been almost three years since an NFL player was traded for a first round pick — around the time Wilson was dealt — and I do not expect Metcalf to be the one who ends that streak. However, I do think that the Seahawks would (and in my opinion should) trade Metcalf this offseason.
December 28, 2024 - “DK is practically begging to be traded”
If it were as simple as keeping DK or not keeping DK, the answer could be to keep DK. But since the actual conflict here is whether or not DK plans to holdout or request a trade, the Seahawks must seriously consider whether or not the best offer + cap savings is better than a very good WR2 who will be 28.
In a poll posted here, 85% of you said that YES, DK should be on the trade block. However, in a survey posted last July only 14% of us expected 2024 to be DK’s last year in Seattle:
The change in expectations tells me that Seaside Joe readers steadily accepted that 2025 was a year of reckoning for DK and Seattle.
December 16, 2024 - “DK’s future in Seattle”
It’s an issue that Seaside Joe brings up because it will be the second-biggest Seahawks player talking point of the offseason and it will have a huge impact on the roster when John Schneider’s decision is made.
December 6, 2024 - “Social media is obsessed with the bag”
But Brown’s extension pays him $32 million per season and whether he gets it or not, that’s still what DK Metcalf is going to ask for at a minimum. Metcalf is signed through 2025, however these days with social media obsessing so much over “getting the bag”, players seem to take PRIDE in holding out for more money.
It’s hard to believe that Metcalf won’t follow the lead of every other player in his position and force the Seahawks to either give him a raise or trade him.
October 28, 2024 - “DK Metcalf trade would have benefits”
There are ONLY 2 roads when it comes to DK Metcalf’s future with the Seahawks after the season: They have to trade him or extend him.
In my opinion, this is not an opinion: Receivers of his caliber don’t have to play for the $18 million non-guaranteed he’s due in 2025.
July 16, 2024 - “What Brandon Aiyuk’s trade request will tell us about DK”
As you have already know, the DK Metcalf contract situation is one that I’ve had my eyes on for months and it will only continue to become more public as others realize that he’s not going to play next season for $22 million if he has any inkling that he could get an extension from another team.
June 6, 2024 - “The DK Metcalf decision in 2025”
The Seahawks have a big decision to make with Metcalf next year because there’s a less than 5% chance he will play out his current deal. Metcalf should be seeking a contract that pays him something in the ballpark of $30 million per season barring an unforeseen collapse in 2024. The Seahawks must decide if they’re the team to do that or if they’d rather let a rival take the risk and try to get some decent draft capital in return.
May 18, 2024 - “Ranking Seahawks top-4 pass catchers”
If DK Metcalf is targeted 190 times and catches 100 passes for 1,600 yards with 15 touchdowns, he’s going to expect to get a top-of-market contract extension…If DK Metcalf is targeted 120 times and catches 70 passes for 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns….he’s going to expect to get a top-of-market contract extension! It’s the same outcome!
April 1, 2024 - “DK’s trade value isn’t what you think it is”
Should the Seahawks consider taking a trade offer like that for DK Metcalf if he wants to leave and it is the best one available? Whether they should or should not, I think right now Metcalf is likely at the peak of his value.
And it just goes on like that…but you get the idea. Nothing that happened on Wednesday was unexpected, even if big trade news is ALWAYS stunning.
So if you can believe that Seaside Joe has been preparing readers for this moment then hopefully you can also entertain my trade expectations for DK Metcalf. This isn’t something that I’ve just started thinking about this morning or last week…And I don’t think that a trade return will be as simplistic as a first round pick + a young receiver.
These situations are rare, but they aren’t complicated. It’s supply and demand.
The headline of this article lays the foundation of expectations — that the Seahawks probably won’t get a first round pick for DK Metcalf — but it doesn’t tell you why and what John Schneider should ultimately be able to get for the receiver. A receiver who, according to reports, has upset the GM by leaking the news on the same day that Seattle wanted to honor Tyler Lockett.
Keep reading to find out:
Why the Seahawks won’t get a 1 for DK
The most the Seahawks can hope for in return
What the Seahawks should actually ask for
Where DK Metcalf is most likely to end up
Most rumors you’re seeing take the path of least thought (Packers=John Schneider’s old team, Patriots=Schneider’s best friend is GM, Raiders=Pete Carroll, Chargers=DK’s old WRs coach) and sure any of them could end up true. But DK doesn’t have a no trade clause and John’s job isn’t to trade him to a buddy or to someone DK knows; it’s his job to trade him for the best possible return.
What is that going to look like when it happens? Here is what I expect the Seahawks to trade DK Metcalf for this month.