Are Seahawks’ struggles going to hurt chances of extending DK Metcalf?

The Seahawks have limped to a 2-5 record through the first seven weeks of the NFL season, and struggling like that could have an impact past just the standings.

For example, it might hurt their chances to retain one of their best players.

Rost’s Seahawks Q&A: What is the future for Wilson and Carroll?

Seattle has locked up a number of players to new deals or contract extensions in recent years, including Jamal Adams, Chris Carson, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson. But somebody the Seahawks haven’t had a chance to extend yet is Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf, who is still on his rookie deal. And considering the state of the team, it’s worth wondering if he’s starting to think his future may be best played elsewhere.

On Thursday’s edition of 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy, they put this topic under the microscope. You can hear what Jake Heaps and Stacy Rost had to say in the video embedded below or in the final segment of the podcast at this link. You can read a transcript of their discussion below the video.

Stacy Rost

What does DK Metcalf think of all this? DK Metcalf is another one of those guys where the Seahawks are going to have a decision to make. Let’s not forget that in free agency when the Seahawks were pursuing or not pursuing certain guys, one of the conversations that we were having was, “Well, hey, you may not want to pursue Julio Jones, you may not want to pursue a high-priced free agent at another position because you’re going to have to pay DK Metcalf, and he’s going to be looking for a big deal.”

Is what’s happening right now with the team impacting DK Metcalf’s desire to stay here? I think it’s a question worth asking. I’m going to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to know the answer, but it is certainly a storyline worth tracking because this offense has been something else with DK Metcalf. He is one of the best receivers they’ve drafted. He’s explosive, dynamic, one of the most promising young stars in the league. And I mean stars (on) other teams (are) giving him shoutouts, giving him credit. He’s making highlights on SportsCenter. I mean, this is a superstar on a team that hasn’t had a ton of superstars outside of guys like Wilson, guys like Wagner. And so now you have one with DK Metcalf. Can you keep him here?

Jake Heaps

Well, it is a great question, and it’s something that I believe is not a slam dunk. A player of DK’s stature going into the final year of his deal, this is usually where an organization is going to approach him (about an extension). And if you’re DK Metcalf, you’ve got to be looking at what’s going on this season and being very cautious about how you move forward. I would not be in a rush to go and sign an extension.

If I’m DK Metcalf with the current status of the organization right now, you don’t know what’s going to happen with Russell Wilson. Right now you’re currently seeing what life is like without Russell Wilson (due to Wilson’s finger injury). Even though you got an 84-yard touchdown (on Monday), you also only got three targets and two receptions in that game. So you’re getting a firsthand glimpse of what that could be like with life after Russ. And then the other side of it, too, is are you going to want to sign up for an offense that is going to be very focused – if that is the direction that they go – on the running game? I think all of those things do factor in.

Now from a positive perspective, because I don’t want to focus on all the negatives, things could stay together. Russell could stay here, Pete (Carroll) could stay here and everything works out. But when you’re committing your prime years, it’s not just (about) the money that he could be making. It’s the prime years of his career. DK wants to be one of the greatest of all-time, he wants to be one of the best receivers in the game. And if you’re committing the next four years of your career in Seattle, those four years need to mean something. They need to be productive. It needs to be (where you’re) part of an organization that’s going to help you not only win games but help you accomplish your goals, as well.

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