D.K. Metcalf’s future with the Seahawks should be decided this offseason

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have a very big decision to make regarding their biggest young star this offseason. D.K. Metcalf will be 25 years old in the 2022 season and he’s just now entering the prime years of his career and he’s expected to cash in BIG time.

Metcalf stands 6’3″ and 229 pounds and can run a blazing sub-4.4 40-yard dash which makes him a unique blend of size, speed and power.

According to Spotrac.com the market value for Metcalf, who hits free agency after the 2022 season, will be 4 years worth $82,489,060 which is equivalent to $20,600,000 per year.

Seahawks need to make a long-term decision on D.K. Metcalf this offseason

Metcalf finished the 2021 season playing in all 17 games catching 75 passes combined from Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. He had 967 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

In Metcalf’s 3 years in the NFL, he’s put up a staggering 216 catches 3,170 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. What’s even more impressive is DK has not missed a single game due to injury despite all the big hits he takes.

He commands the attention of the opposing team’s CB1 which allows Tyler Lockett the opportunity to put the moves on the CB2.

Seahawks have two options that needs to be made this offseason

One option is to extend Metcalf to $20.6 million per year. The second option is to trade him for an overhaul of picks. Let’s take a deep dive into whether or not Seattle should mortgage their future for keeping Metcalf.

Pros:

• Elite athleticism
• Elite production as explained earlier in this post
• Durability, he clearly takes care of his body and is able to absorb those big hits.
• Locker room chemistry (he seemingly has a good relationship with other players in the locker room)
• His ability to listen to direction and actually implement change (After he’s been reprimanded multiple times for on-field conduct)
• He’s playing to be considered one of the greats not just good
• He seemingly loves being in Seattle.

Cons:

• 22 drops in his career
• 15 penalties
• On-field fights (DK plays with an aggression rarely seen at the WR position. O-Line, D-Line, linebackers and safeties absolutely but unusual in a receiver.)
• Twitter argument with Hall of Fame TE Shannon Sharpe. (DK didn’t appear to know Shannon Sharpe had such a decorated career. He thought he was a random TV analyst)

In my opinion, the Pros definitely outweigh the Cons when it comes to Metcalf.

DK is a young man who earned success, wealth and fame at a young age in the NFL. This is a part of his growth too, however. Through his first 3 years, he’s had ups and he’s had downs. He’s no different than any other young man who makes mistakes.

I’m ok with whatever direction Pete and John want to go in. They know DK better than we do and they know whether or not they want to tie up $20 million per year.

The one thing I know is that a decision on his future needs to be made this offseason. Extend him this offseason or trade him? After the combine exploded with speed at the wide receiver position it’s relatively clear that if the Seahawks were going to move on from DK, Seattle can choose his replacement in this year’s draft.