What Stefon Diggs trade should mean for Seattle Seahawks and DK Metcalf

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills traded star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on Wednesday. This should be a great move for the Texans while Bills fans might wonder what is going on. But ultimately, what could the trade mean for the Seattle Seahawks and DK Metcalf?

To be sure, there has been no rumored trade where general manager John Schneider would ship Metcalf to another team. But this could also be an option for Seattle to add draft picks. The team only has one first-round pick currently and then no another until midway through the third round. That is not much draft capital for a team with a new head coach, Mike Macdonald, who is going through somewhat of a retool.

Plus, Schneider is not afraid to make a trade if he thinks it will help the team. He is the same GM that traded quarterback Russell Wilson, of course, and that turned out pretty good for the Seahawks. Schneider has also traded for players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Jamal Adams, and Duane Brown. He recently made a move to add quarterback Sam Howell.

Could the Seattle Seahawks trade DK Metcalf before the 2024 NFL draft?

Metcalf might also be a more interesting trade option than Diggs was as well. Diggs is 30 years old and arguably coming off his worst season since at least 2019. Metcalf is only 26 years old whose best seasons could still be ahead of him. Teams could assume they will have at least four more peak seasons with Metcalf than they would with Diggs.

But there are a number of reasons embedded in the Diggs trade for the Seahawks not to trade Metcalf. For one, Buffalo did not get much back for Diggs, relatively speaking. The deal was Houston getting Diggs and a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Bills and sending Buffalo a 2025 second-round pick. So in 2024, Buffalo literally gets nothing for moving on from Diggs. Weird.

This implies Seattle would not get a lot more back for Metcalf. Though Seattle's receiver is younger, Seattle might be able to get a first-round choice but not much else and the team would be losing Metcalf who was the best receiver on the team in 2023. He should be again in 2024, and likely 2025. Metcalf came through big many times late in games and without him, the Seahawks probably have one or two fewer victories.

The difference in Diggs' contract versus Metcalf's contracts is fairly negligible. Seattle would save some money this offseason if they traded Metcalf prior to June 1 but he would still mean $22 million in dead cap over the next two seasons.

There is no real reason for Schneider to trade DK Metcalf. Seattle would have to get a very high pick in the 2024 NFL draft in return for him, and that is not going to happen. Plus, if Seattle is going to make a chase at the postseason this coming season, Metcalf needs to be on the team.

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