If the Seattle Seahawks are going to make a trade involving DK Metcalf, they likely will not do that until closer to the 2025 NFL draft. There is no need to move the wide receiver now. He is still under contract through 2025, and unless the team extends him, his presence on the roster does not affect what the team can do in free agency.
Still, Metcalf is up for a new contract beginning in 2026, and he is going to be very expensive. In raw numbers, the Seahawks have a projected $168 million to spend next offseason. The problem is that Seattle will have a number of very important players up for new deals, including edge rusher Boye Mafe, running back Kenneth Walker III, cornerback Riq Woolen, along with Metcalf and (possibly) quarterback Geno Smith.
While the team has a lot of money to spend in 2026, it will need to spend a lot of it trying to retain its own players. Metcalf could wind up being too expensive to keep, so trading him now instead of watching him leave in free agency would at least give the Seahawks a chance to get value back in return. Is moving Metcalf really worth it, though?
Seattle Seahawks should say no to proposed trade of DK Metcalf to the Washington Commanders
A recently proposed trade by FanSided's Wynston Wilcox would not be so. The issue is Wilcox proposes Seattle send Metcalf to the Washington Commanders in exchange for defensive tackle Daron Payne and a 2025 third-round pick. This is great! For the Commanders.
Washington would then be able to give talented young quarterback Jayden Daniels a wide receiver duo of Metcalf and Terry McLaurin. That would make their offense even better and keep the Commanders competitive for several years, assuming Metcalf signs an extension with Washington. The Commanders also have enough cap room to make the deal work.
The Seahawks would then be saddled with the underperforming Payne and a draft choice that isn't as high as it needs to be in a Metcalf deal. Part of the reason to trade Metcalf would be to open up a pick of cap room this offseason, even if the Seahawks are only signing the players left over from the initial onset of free agency. General manager John Schneider does not mind doing that.
While trading Metcalf saves the Seahawks $10,875,471, trading Payne saves the Commanders $9,370,000. In essence, Seattle only breaks even with the move and winds up with a less productive player.
Payne has had one great season in the NFL and that was in 2022. Every other season since 2019, Payne has had 4.5 sacks or fewer, and has only twice had more than double-digit tackles for loss. He is also an atrocious tackler. In each of his last three seasons, he has missed at least 17.4 percent of his tackle attempts. That is horrible for a defensive lineman.
Plus, Payne has a cap hit of $28,010,000 in 2026, and Seattle would only save $16 million by releasing him. The Commanders would have to be laughing knowing they worked a deal to add Metcalf while ridding themselves of an expensive player who has not met expectations.
Grade: D-
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