This offseason is full of fantastic rumors, as far as the NFL is concerned. Recently, Corbin K. Smith of Emerald City Spectrum tweeted out several suggestions of teams that could be interested in trading for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. He tempered those early in his reporting from the NFL Combine that Seattle was not actively shopping Metcalf.
To be fair, that was a cop-out. Smith was one of the few reporters (Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, for instance, did not bring up the same rumors) to name teams who have seemingly reached out to Seattle about a Metcalf offer. In other words, literally anyone could have done what Smith was doing (giving credence to rumors that he heard) and tweeted those rumors for his own benefit.
Reporters such as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and Adam Schefter of ESPN were not giving any information on teams potentially involved in speaking with Seattle about a trade of its star receiver. Most of the time, they hold back from reporting information that might not be substantiated by more than one source. When it comes to Metcalf, Smith's smoke seemed to be nowhere near being a fire.
DK Metcalf does not appear to be playing for any team other than the Seattle Seahawks anytime soon
Or maybe other reporters are not giving out the same information that Smith is because they know that the info isn't truly newsworthy. Teams call other teams all the time about potential trades. To suggest a deal might be happening sooner than later is not being factual and the reporter is clearly understanding their name is going to be attached to rumors that are not totally false, but misleading.
This is according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. In an article about what was learned at the NFL Combine, Howe wrote matter-of-factly, "It doesn’t sound likely the Seattle Seahawks would make wideout DK Metcalf available in a trade." The writer did say that maybe things would change if extension talks go south with the receiver's agent, but we aren't there yet.
The issue with Smith's tweets is that he posted things such as, "Coming off a somewhat down season by his standards, the (Seahawks) have at least been willing to listen to offers for DK Metcalf." That implies Seattle is quite willing to deal Metcalf. Howe's reporting suggests that is nowhere close to being fact.
Another tweet from Smith stated, "Hearing through multiple sources that the (Seahawks) have spoken with a couple of teams about DK Metcalf’s availability this week in Indy. As John Schneider has pointed out before, simply talking to another team doesn’t mean a trade is imminent, but worth keeping an eye on.
This should not be seen as a diatribe on Smith's ability as a reporter. The issue is that no other reputable reporter was saying the same things he was. That makes it an onus to believe Smith's "sources" and assume he has better sources than other reporters. Or, possibly, he is hearing rumors and spinning them in a way to build his brand.
It is not unbelievable that teams are reaching out to the Seahawks about the availability of DK Metcalf. That likely happens with any top player. Smith implied the Seahawks might be heavily considering the options. A team might call and make an offer, and general manager John Schneider simply says, "No."
Smith was fanning the flames, and as he is a smart guy, he had to know that. Is his reporting wrong? No, as one can assume, teams are making offers for the Seahawks receiver. But it is irresponsible that Smith pushed out so many tweets implying a real deal could be possible and impending. DK Metcalf does not appear to be leaving the Seahawks anytime soon.
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