Grade the trade: Proposed deal has Seahawks sending DK Metcalf to poorly run rival

On the surface, any trade sending Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf elsewhere seems silly. He has become Seattle's best receiver and led the team in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards per catch last year. This year in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense, Metcalf might have his best season ever.

Metcalf is also still just 26 years old and should have quite a long time left to play a high level of football. Seattle has one of the best receiving trios in the league currently, but 2024 could be Tyler Lockett's last. He might choose to move on to doing real estate full-time. He also gets really expensive in 2025 and Seattle is already cash-strapped next offseason.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a decent rookie season, but he might be set to explode in year two. He could become Seattle WR1 by 2025. That is important to note because he would still be on his rookie deal and should Seattle decide to move on from DK Metcalf, the team might choose JSN's long-term partner in the 2025 NFL draft.

A website called BVM Sports proposed a trade possibility last week that would send Metcalf to the Dallas Cowboys. What makes the proposal all the more frustrating - other than any idea of Metcalf being moved now makes little sense - is that the article pitfalls into something lots of trade proposals do. It doesn't give enough specifics. The graphic below shows what would be offered.

Cowboys land Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf in proposed trade

Which is it? Would the Seahawks get a first or second-round choice? There is a huge difference between the two. This is especially true if Dallas is one of the better teams in the league after adding Metcalf because then the first-round choice Seattle got in the trade would not be until around number 30. That isn't a lot of value in return for the receiver.

Worse, if Seattle takes only a second-round pick then that choice would be closer to 60. Zero value involved.

BVM Sports points out that the Cowboys are "all-in" this season in an attempt to win a Super Bowl. The problem is that Dallas owner/general manager Jerry Jones is always all-in and he cannot seem to get out of his own way. While Jones does acquire talent, he doesn't appear to know how the pieces should truly fit together to build a good culture and a consistently championship-caliber squad.

Since 1995 - so nearly 30 years ago - when Dallas won its last Super Bowl, the Cowboys have won a total of five playoff games and not advanced past the divisional round. The Cowboys have completely missed the playoffs 14 times. In that same time span, even though the Seahawks struggled in the 1990s, Seattle has missed the playoffs 12 times, but only five times since 2003.

Adding Metcalf would give Dallas more talent, but they already have CeeDee Lamb. What Dallas needs is a new general manager instead of Jones.

For the Seahawks, even with Metcalf likely getting a new contract starting in 2026 that pays him at least $30 million a season, the team needs to hold onto Metcalf and pair him with JSN for the foreseeable future. The proposed trade by BVM Sports appears to want to help the Cowboys and has little thought of Seattle. Therefore, the proposal is not balanced enough to have any foundation in reality.

Grade: D

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