2 new things from NFL insiders on DK Metcalf trade rumors

The rumor mill is running after Wednesday’s reports that star wide receiver DK Metcalf has requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks.

Seahawks GM details where they are on DK Metcalf trade talks

A day later, here are two new things that stand out from NFL insiders.

What both sides want

Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic, had a notable update Thursday morning about what both Metcalf and the Seahawks are hoping to get out of this situation.

In order to trade Metcalf, the Seahawks are looking for both first-round and third-round NFL Draft picks, per Russini. She added that multiple teams have inquired.

What Metcalf is looking for, though, may throw a wrench into Seattle’s potential return for him. Russini said Metcalf is eyeing a new contract worth roughly $30 million per year.

Seattle’s reported asking price seems quite high considering recent trades with other top wide receivers. Just last week, the San Francisco 49ers gave up Deebo Samuel for just a fifth-round pick. Stefon Diggs netted a second-round pick for Buffalo last year, but the Bills needed to send a fifth-round and a sixth-round pick along with Diggs to Houston. And the Raiders got a conditional pick that ended up being a third-rounder back from the Jets for Davante Adams in October.

Those receivers are all older than the 27-year-old Metcalf, however, so it’s hard to find a one-for-one comparison. You could look at Jerry Jeudy, a 25-year-old receiver who Denver sent to Cleveland a year ago for a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder. But Jeudy didn’t have anywhere near the track record of Metcalf at the time of the trade, though he did go on to his first 1,000-yard season and Pro Bowl nod in 2024.

As for Metcalf’s contract status, he has one season left on a three-year, $72 million extension he signed in July 2022. His $24 million per-year average currently ranks 13th among receivers, according to OverTheCap. But his salary cap hit for 2025 is $31.875 million, per OTC, which is the highest among all receivers. Any team that ends up trading for Metcalf is going to want to get him signed quickly to an extension not just to maximize the return of the deal, but to get that 2025 cap hit down.

A step in the rebuild direction?

The Seahawks didn’t seem interested at all in trading Metcalf when general manager/president of football operations John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald talked at the NFL combine in late February. But now that the tune has apparently changed, could it also change another tune they’ve been singing?

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah wondered on his Move The Sticks podcast if the Metcalf news, coming on the heels of Wednesday’s release of fellow receiver Tyler Lockett, could push the Seahawks to also move on from quarterback Geno Smith and go into “reset” mode.

Jeremiah posed whether it would be all that shocking if the Seahawks took advantage of a quarterback situation that “is not great around the league” and traded the 34-year-old Smith, then bringing in a younger QB like Justin Fields. Additionally, Jeremiah pointed out that while Smith has played well in his 30s, the quarterbacks who stay effective into their late 30s and even 40s are more rare than some may remember.

“Aaron Rodgers, as he was getting towards 40, was still playing MVP-level football. Tom Brady, obviously on the other side of 40, championship-level football. And I think there’s a lot of people that are kind of forgetting those are exceptions,” Jeremiah said. “That is not how it normally goes. Geno’s 34. Think about (Kirk) Cousins last year. Think about Russell Wilson’s fall off. We’ve seen a lot of those guys kind of fall off.”

For more, listen to Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk dive into Jeremiah’s comments Thursday morning in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Where will DK go? Four potential Seattle Seahawks trade partners
• Huard: What surgery news means for Ernest Jones IV, Seahawks
• A free agent who could help Seahawks fill void at WR
• Salk: Alot to unpack with Seattle Seahawks and the DK trade request
• Where Seattle Seahawks’ salary cap situation now stands

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