Why NFL insider questions idea of Seahawks trading DK Metcalf

In Seattle Seahawks land, the offseason has come with ever-present talk of a potential DK Metcalf trade.

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That includes with NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal, who listed the Seahawks wide receiver among his realistic trade targets this offseason. But as we learned in talking to Rosenthal on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, it’s far from an endorsement of the move.

“He was kind of thrown in at the end like, man, Seahawks fans are always talking about trading DK Metcalf,” Rosenthal said. “It doesn’t really make sense to me. And I never got the sense that it made a lot of sense to the Seahawks.”

Metcalf dealt with injuries in 2024 and started the fewest games (12) of his career. He still finished with 992 yards and five touchdowns on 108 targets, though that was a step back from 1000-plus yard seasons in 2023 and 2023. And now, Seattle will need to decide whether to make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.

“I think there’s a frustration among some Seahawks fans maybe that, look, he’s not AJ Brown, he’s not Ja’Marr Chase,” said Rosenthal. “But not everyone gets to be a future Hall of Famer. And who knows? DK Metcalf has improved and can continue to improve. He’s a top-20 receiver that has a very defined skill set which fits well with (Geno) Smith going deep down the field. They have a great one-two punch.”

To be fair…

It’s worth noting that the Seahawks themselves have not done anything on their part to promote the Metcalf trade talk this offseason.

ESPN reported that the Seahawks had received calls about Metcalf before the NFL trade deadline last season but “had no plans to deal him.” And even though the Hawks are facing a salary cap crunch at the same that they are on the verge of Metcalf’s salary cap hit increasing by over double to $31.875 million, they made it clear this week at the NFL combine that they remain committed to the talented wideout.

Asked about Metcalf’s status this offseason, Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider matter-of-factly replied, “He’s on our team.”

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, meanwhile, reiterated how important it is that the Seahawks make Metcalf more of a “focal point” of their offense next season, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Seattle Sports staff contributed to this post.

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