Could the Seattle Seahawks trade DK Metcalf? Yeah, they could. Should the Seahawks trade DK Metcalf? Well, that's a completely different question, of course.
Most 12s, including me, didn't think the team would trade Russell Wilson, though at this point we are probably thankful Seattle did. Seattle would likely be an old team, playing out the final useless seasons of Russell Wilson's career and being slightly less than mediocre. Then, once Wilson retired, Seattle would probably face many years of being among the worst teams in the league.
Post-apocalyptic? Maybe more like post-Wilson. The latter would likely feel like the former to 12s.
DK Metcalf is much younger now than Wilson was when he was traded, obviously, but Metcalf also plays a far less important position than Wilson. And we might have seen some cracks in the relationship between Seattle and Metcalf recently. The 15-yard penalties are bad enough, but what's worse to me is that Metcalf hinted that he isn't really listening to the coaches when they talk to him about stopping the bad penalties.
3 potential trades for the Seattle Seahawks involving DK Metcalf
Metcalf told ESPN last week, "I'm not going to change the way I play." After Pete Carroll in a team meeting had put a list of players with the most penalties on a board - Metcalf being tied for the most - Metcalf said, "It was just a board to me."
Whether Metcalf is traded soon or in Seattle for the next 10 years, that kind of thing needs to be addressed by Pete Carroll. Rule number 1 with the Seahawks is a player doesn't speak badly about the team publicly. And Metcalf isn't bigger than the team.
And before I get a lot of social media hate about bringing up the idea of Metcalf being traded, here are a few things to note. One, I am not the only one talking about the possibility. I am just completing this exercise to show who might want Metcalf and what the Seahawks could get in return. Heck, one writer at our pals at Field Gulls recently bragged, "Especially since I was the first one (that I’m aware of) to advocate for trading DK Metcalf - way back on February 12th, 2021."
And the recent article was based on ESPN's Bill Barnwell speculating on what Metcalf can bring back in a trade.
But that's an odd brag, really. As The Beatles sang in "All You Need is Love," "There's nothing you can know that isn't known." NFL teams are always thinking of who potentially can be traded, signed, or released. That's kind of an NFL exec's job.
Also, do I think the Seahawks should trade Metcalf? No. Most of the time, Metcalf is a passionate player who does good things and he seems like a good guy off the field. But that said, Seattle has shown they are capable of trading anyone, and here are three possibilities involving a trade of DK Metcalf.
DK Metcalf could be traded to the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots offense is atrocious. Whether Bill Belichick, a defensive-minded coach like Pete Carroll but seemingly lacking the ability to win a lot of football games without a certain quarterback, took his eye off the proverbial ball after decades of success and doesn't know how to fix things or not, one thing is true: The Patriots need to find a lot more weapon offensively. Why not start with a great receiver?
The Patriots are 30th in the league in scoring (101 points) and while they are 18th in passing yards, they are seventh in pass attempts. Basically, one reason New England has the number of passing yards they do is because they have to throw so much to try to catch back up in games they are losing because their offense is so bad. (Whew!)
The Seahawks are going to want a first-round draft pick (at least) from any potential trade partner for DK Metcalf. New England has one first-round choice in every draft for the foreseeable future. In fact, they have one pick in each round from the first through the fifth for the foreseeable future. I bring that up because Seattle isn't going to want just one first-round pick, but multiple choices.
New England only has a little over $2 million in cap room left in 2023, but they have $77 million in 2024. While DK Metcalf signed a three-year extension in 2022 and he will get paid a lot through 2025, his cap hit in 2023 is just $13,720,000 so the Patriots wouldn't have to make that much room to obtain him. Seattle gets draft picks - say a first-round pick in 2024, a third-rounder in 2024, and a second-rounder in 2025 - and the Patriots get a player to help them fix their offense.
DK Metcalf could be traded to the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are in much better shape than the New England Patriots. (I'm not a Browns fan, of course, but it was fun to write that sentence simply because it's probably been three decades since it could be written.) Cleveland has a talented quarterback, the ability to run the ball, an outstanding defense, and they are this close to being really good. But they really needed a high-level receiver with abundant speed.
Cleveland is 30th in the league in passing yards per attempt (5.6), and 26th in yards-per-catch (9.9). They basically have an offense that can be efficient because they can run, but they don't really scare defenses with receivers who can take the top off thereby helping their run game even more. The way to beat Cleveland is for a defense to play close to the line and keep everything in front of them. Metcalf will help remedy that.
Amari Cooper is a good receiver, sure, but he's only caught 24 of his 47 targets this year. He also has just 1 touchdown reception. The Browns overall just have 4. Metcalf has half that amount through five games.
The Browns don't have a first-round pick in 2024 as that was part of the trade package Cleveland sent to the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson. But getting Watson at all means the Browns want to win now and adding Metcalf gets them closer to being very good. Cleveland would also have to create some cap space beginning next to fit Metcalf's contract under the cap, but they could find a way.
Seattle needs draft picks back, but they might get Cleveland's 2025 first-round choice as well as a second-or-third rounder in 2024. Seattle should also ask for edge rusher Za'Darius Smith in return, too. Smith is 31 years old, and he hasn't been great for Cleveland so far this year, but he has 10-plus sacks in every full season since 2019 (he was injured in Week 1 of 2021) and Smith would help offset the loss of Uchenna Nwosu who is likely to miss the rest of the season with a pec injury.
DK Metcalf could be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs
We know Kansas City is fully aware that they are in a championship window because they aren't afraid to make trades and have done so many times over the last few years. In 2022, they made a move for Kadarius Toney, for instance. KC has already made a trade this month that brought receiver Mecole Hardman to them from the Jets.
The point is that the Chiefs are never really satisfied with the players they have who catch passes from Patrick Mahomes. And while the Chiefs are in the championship window, we aren't talking about two Super Bowl wins but four or five wins. Mahomes and coach Andy Reid are good enough to make that happen but they need help.
Just imagine DK Metcalf in the Chiefs offense. While Metcalf hasn't come close to his career-high number of 1,303 receiving yards which he got in 2020, and he might not ever reach that number again in the scheme in the Seahawks' current offense, Metcalf could explode with the Chiefs. He would be the perfect fit for KC as well.
While that's all well and good for the Chiefs, we don't so much care about them, right? We want the Seahawks do to great things, so what would be in the trade for Seattle? Maybe Chris Jones? Jones is likely going to be a free agent after this year (unless KC surprisingly signs him to an extension during the season) and his contract for Metcalf's would likely be an even swap. Seattle's defense is improving but adding Jones would make the group truly great again.