5 Trade Scenarios for DK Metcalf: Where Could Seahawks Star Land?

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Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf has requested a trade, leaving the Raiders and Chargers as two possible destinations for his talents. [/caption]

Launching a crazy day of Seattle sports news into proverbial orbit on Wednesday morning, DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks appear destined for a divorce as the star receiver has requested a trade after six seasons with the organization.

In the past, receivers of Metcalf’s caliber with All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors on their resume have netted first-round picks and additional compensation in return for their services. But since the Packers dealt Davante Adams to the Raiders for a first and second-round pick in 2022, the market has dried up with teams being far less willing to invest high picks into veteran wideouts who will also need to be paid top money for their position, including former 49ers star Deebo Samuel netting only a fifth-round pick from the Commanders earlier this month.

Further complicating matters in regard to Seattle’s desire to acquire high picks for Metcalf, the receiver has only one year left on his current contract and will be seeking a massive extension that could be upwards of $30 million per season annually. With him wanting to land with a contender, he carries some leverage on who he is willing to sign an extension with, which will impact compensation.

At the same time, as evidenced by the Rams investing $10 million to re-sign Tutu Atwell, who has only surpassed the 500-yard mark once in four NFL seasons, teams aren’t high on this year’s free agent crop and the incoming draft class isn’t viewed much more favorably, which could lead to a bidding war for the 27-year old Metcalf now that he has made it known he wants out of Seattle. Discussions about a potential trade already took place at the NFL combine last week, demonstrating clear interest around the league prior to his request being leaked publicly.

If the Seahawks intend to acknowledge Metcalf’s request and make a deal, what can general manager John Schneider fetch in return? Based on intel from conversations with league sources and the current state of the market, here are five proposals that could come to fruition to acquire the star receiver before the 2025 NFL Draft:

Proposal 1 - Green Bay Packers

Seahawks trade Metcalf and 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 173) to Packers for 2025 second-round pick (No. 55), 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 123), and Dontayvion Wicks

If this proposal sounds familiar, sources with knowledge of the situation indicated to the Emerald City Spectrum that Green Bay already has had discussions about a package for Metcalf including either Wicks or Romeo Doubs paired with a high draft pick. While Seattle may hold firm in its demand for a first round pick as part of the deal, it’s unlikely Schneider will be able to squeeze that out of Brian Gutekunst, especially if a promising young receiver and/or an additional mid-round pick has to be included and he has to turn around and pay him $30 million per year on an extension.

For the Seahawks to be willing to lower their asking price down to a second round pick to orchestrate this deal, Schneider would ask for Wicks, who carries two years of remaining club control on his rookie contract and offers a more similar skill set to the departing Metcalf as a big-bodied, physical boundary receiver. Though the organization holds Doubs in high regard and had a strong evaluation for him heading into the draft three years ago, he has just one year remaining on his contract and though Gutekunst denied that the player is concussion prone at the combine, he has had at least two of them since entering the NFL, lowering his respective value in a trade.

Proposal 2 - Las Vegas Raiders

Seahawks trade Metcalf and 2025 third-round pick (No. 82) to Raiders for 2025 second-round pick (No. 37), 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 144), and Michael Mayer

To this point, the Raiders have only been speculated as a possible suitor for Metcalf, but the connection with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll makes this an obvious landing spot. After trading Davante Adams to the New York Jets before the deadline last season, Las Vegas lacks firepower at the receiver position with Jakobi Meyers as their current No. 1 target and minimal experience/production behind him, so the organization is expected to be aggressive seeking weapons to upgrade the passing game for whoever plays quarterback for them in 2025.

The uncertainty under center looms large here, as Metcalf likely won’t be interested in signing an extension with a team that doesn’t have an established veteran quarterback and has not made the postseason since 2021. It’s anyone’s guess what direction Las Vegas will go in that regard. But the allure of playing for Carroll again as the alpha receiver coupled with the fact that the Raiders have a valuable chip who already has been put on the trade block in Mayer to sweeten the deal makes this a dark horse team to keep a close eye on leading up to the NFL draft.

Proposal 3 - Los Angeles Chargers

Seahawks trade Metcalf and 2025 third-round pick (No. 82) to Chargers for 2025 second-round pick (No. 54), 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 124), and Quentin Johnston

When it comes to expressing interest in Metcalf, this wouldn’t be the Chargers first rodeo, as NFL insider Jordan Schultz indicated they tried to pry him away from the Seahawks last offseason with no success. Unlike the Raiders, Jim Harbaugh’s squad has a top-tier quarterback in Justin Herbert orchestrating the offense, and the former Oregon star has had a great career thus far despite lacking a true No. 1 receiver during his time in the league.

Acquiring Metcalf would immediately fill that void for Los Angeles, providing Herbert with the type of dynamic playmaking threat that the offense has sorely been missing. While it’s debatable whether or not the Chargers are one player away from being a title contender in the loaded AFC, they appeared to close the gap on the Chiefs last season and have a great nucleus in place for sustained contention, so they may be a team more willing to roll the dice giving up multiple picks. From Seattle’s perspective, Johnston won’t replace Metcalf’s numbers and has struggled with drops in his first two NFL seasons, but he did post 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season. Highly regarded by the Seahawks before the 2023 draft, a change of scenery could unlock his full potential in Klint Kubiak’s offense.

Proposal 4 - Buffalo Bills

Seahawks trade Metcalf and 2025 third-round pick (No. 82) to Bills for 2025 second-round pick (No. 56), 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 131), and Keon Coleman

After trading away Stefon Diggs to the Texans last spring, the Bills struggled to get their passing attack humming for most of the first half of the 2024 season before dealing for Amari Cooper, a move that paid significant dividends for a young receiving corps. But Cooper will now be a free agent and he’s three years older than Metcalf without offering the explosive play potential as a downfield threat, so it shouldn’t come as a shock at all that general manager Brandon Beane has been keeping tabs on Seattle’s star receiver in recent weeks monitoring his availability.

For the Bills to be able to make such a bold move, Beane will have some work to do with the salary cap, as the team currently sits nearly $10 million in the red. But releasing veteran edge rusher Von Miller and restructuring a couple of players would be more than enough to create room to absorb Metcalf’s contract, putting the deep ball maestro in an already potent offense featuring one of the best passers in the sport in Josh Allen. Having come up short against the Chiefs time and time again, Metcalf could be the missing ingredient to finally get over the hump, to the point where including a promising young wideout in Coleman as part of the package may be on the table to swing the deal.

Proposal 5 - Kansas City Chiefs

Seahawks trade Metcalf and 2025 third-round pick (No. 82) to Chiefs for 2025 first-round pick (No. 31), 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 132), and 2026 fourth-round pick

If there’s a pathway for the Seahawks to acquire a first round pick as part of a trade package for Metcalf, the road likely will travel through Kansas City, a familiar trade partner that already has dealt away high picks to Seattle in the past to bring Frank Clark on board in 2019. It’s well-documented that the Chiefs have not had the same explosive passing attack since trading away Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins and while they have still made the past two Super Bowls without him, they have been quietly pursuing receiver help behind the scenes and are motivated to give Patrick Mahomes a game-changing threat on the outside as a means to win another Lombardi Trophy.

Trying to engineer a sign-and-trade with Metcalf would be tricky for the Chiefs, who recently placed the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith and already have a bunch of high-priced contracts on the books for 2025. However, they did open up significant space earlier this week by trading guard Joe Thuney to the Bears for a fourth-round pick, a move that may have been made in part to create the flexibility necessary to go fishing for a big play receiver on the trade or free agent market. They’re only $2 million over the cap, so a couple quick restructures could allow them to make a run at Metcalf, and with their title window still open, dealing away a late first round pick may be worth the price of acquisition for a franchise in win-now mode.