Salk: Why Seahawks should explore a DK Metcalf trade
Oct 16, 2024, 12:00 AM
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
With three to go before the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline, we are starting to see some deals across the league, with the Seattle Seahawks striking first by acquiring defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris for veteran depth.
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That was just the start, with the Jets bringing in the biggest name so far in Davante Adams, and the Bills quickly answering with Amari Cooper. But this isn’t Major League Baseball’s deadline where dozens of players are on the move and nearly everyone gets involved. The NFL doesn’t see nearly as many trades as baseball does, and the biggest of them tend to occur in the offseason with draft capital as the primary return. So I don’t expect the Seahawks to significantly alter their roster during this season.
If they win at least two of the next three games, you’d sure expect them to be buyers, maybe hoping to shore up their linebacking corps or the interior of their offensive line.
But if not, they need to seriously consider the possibility that this season is unlikely to result in a Super Bowl appearance, and that the quickest path to that ultimate objective is to rejigger the makeup of the roster with an infusion of young talent at marquee positions.
Head coach Mike Macdonald said this week that he wants his team to be physical – that it should define their identity. I salute the goal as a worthy one. But to accomplish it, the team needs to invest in players and positions that enhance their physicality.
The quickest and best way to do that would be to trade DK Metcalf.
If you’ve listened to me for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me mention this idea. You might think I have a personal vendetta against him (I don’t) or that I don’t think he is a great receiver (I think he is a very good one). What I do think is that he plays a position that can get incredibly expensive and isn’t the best way to spend the huge dollars he is going to want in his next contract.
Currently, DK is in the second season of a three-year extension worth an average of $24 million per year. That puts him 13th in the league at the position, but each of the 12 players above him have signed deals that last until after DK’s is up. That puts him in line for a payday that could add $6-10 million a year to his current number and make him the highest paid player on the team.
No thanks.
Remember that during that time, the Seahawks will need to make a decision on (and likely sign) Charles Cross to a long-term deal that should add $15-20 million a year to his current contract, plus expected conversations with Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker Jr., Riq Woolen and others. Yes, they’ll find other ways to clear space (Tyler Lockett, Uchenna Nwosu and others may be looking at restructures or outright releases), but they have plenty of good uses for that money.
Three reasons to consider a DK Metcalf trade
• 1. He plays a position which is worth more to other teams.
DK is a really good player who plays a position that many of the teams in the NFL value quite highly. Macdonald says he is looking to build a team built on physicality, but that team doesn’t have particularly physical players on his offensive line. Why not let a team that is committed to a more finesse style pay for DK’s services and take advantage of their need by acquiring a draft haul that you can turn around and use to bring in the types of players you want?
By all accounts, the Seahawks currently have one of the best groups of skill position players in the league, and it doesn’t seem to be leading to a tremendous offensive output because they don’t have the horses up front. Why would you want to commit more resources to the skill positions?
At their core, receivers play a dependent position. They need the offensive line to block long enough and the quarterback to see them and throw to them in order to contribute on most plays. That would make them third in line (on offense) to get paid on my team.
• 2. He plays a position of plenty.
There are lots of good receivers in the NFL and plenty more on the way in college. Every year seems to bring a new batch of them. The game is flooded with fast, athletic receivers that can run crisp routes, have good hands, and can run away from defenders. They aren’t all as big or strong as DK, but they may have other skills and talents equally as valuable.
By contrast, there aren’t a lot of dominant offensive linemen. The world just simply doesn’t produce as many people giant enough to play that position at the top level with the kind of athleticism and nastiness that makes them great. Every year we hear executives and coaches complain that the college game isn’t feeding them enough linemen to capably open up running lanes and protect passers.
I’d rather spend my precious resources on acquiring the scarce talent rather than the plentiful one.
• 3. DK is really good … but not great.
In his sixth year, I think we have a pretty good bead on what kind of a player DK Metcalf is and can be. He is ultra-fast and ultra-strong. He can run away from most any defender in the league. And he has stayed remarkably healthy year after year. He is certainly a top 20 player at his position.
But he is also penalty-prone (both in terms of unsportsmanlike conduct and offensive pass interference), not blessed with top-notch hands, and (like many at his position) emotional, moody and overreactive to not getting the ball as often as he would like. While he has had moments that show he can be a great teammate and leader, those have generally faded during times of adversity, and we’ve seen him physically attack teammates during practice.
Those qualities make for a player that has significant value in the NFL, but not ones that I would want a team to be even more dependent upon moving forward.
So if you aren’t going to re-sign DK to a massive new extension this offseason (which I would not), why not do everything in your power to get as much back as possible? You shouldn’t let top talent simply walk out of your door in the NFL, so why not try to get as much as you can before that scenario becomes even a possibility? Remember, your leverage with other teams diminishes as soon as they sense that you might not be willing to sign a player to a new deal, so the sooner you can trade them, the more they are worth.
The trade deadline is just three weeks away and the Seahawks have some serious business to consider.
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