Last year, from mid-March through mid-July, the Chicago Bears quarterback room was comprised of three undrafted free agents who had played their college ball at Boise State, Western Kentucky, and Shepherd. Brett Rypien, Austin Reed, and Tyson Bagent had thrown 311 passes in their combined NFL careers. Seven of those passes were touchdowns. 15 were interceptions.
I bring this up because if things go as expected, the Seattle Seahawks' wide receiver room is about to be pretty empty. But NFL rosters are constantly works in progress, and things will change. The Bears knew they would be drafting Caleb Williams, and when they signed him in July, that QB room looked a lot more promising. Maybe not in terms of experience, but certainly in terms of talent.
If and when the Seattle Seahawks trade DK Metcalf, they will be left with a very thin corps of wide receivers. Not physically thin – Jake Bobo, Cody White, and Dareke Young could have been three-fifths of a legitimate NFL offensive line in the 1950s – but thin in terms of experience and production.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver room could be going from strength to weakness
Without Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks will enter the 2025 season without 48 percent of their wide receiver catches and 55 percent of their wide receiver yardage from 2024.
Through their entire careers, the five Seahawks' WRs not named Jaxon Smith-Njigba have a combined 51 receptions for 469. They have scored three touchdowns. That means that, as of today, the Seahawks are replacing DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett with five players who have compiled – throughout their entire careers – the equivalent of one decent Deion Branch season from back in the day.
No knock on Bobo, Bryant, Young, Jaelon Darden, or John Rhys-Plumlee. Maybe one or two of them can really step up with more opportunity. It’s just that they don’t really inspire all that much confidence right now.
Fortunately, “right now” isn’t the start of 2025, and we can make two pretty strong observations based on John Schneider's wide receiver moves this week. First, he has plans and contingency plans in place.
Schneider has known for some time that Lockett was unlikely to remain in Seattle next year, and he had some idea that Metcalf might be on his way out, too. He might try to wrest away a decent wideout prospect as part of the Metcalf deal. Green Bay, one of the teams reported to be very interested in acquiring Metcalf, has a surplus of young receivers.
He, no doubt, has his eye on several pending free agents. When the Bengals franchised-tagged Tee Higgins, it essentially removed the biggest name from that particular list, but there are some intriguing options who could be available at lower prices. They all come with questions attached – either due to injury (the Chris Godwin type of UFA) or because of inconsistent production (the Darius Slayton model).
And, of course, there is the upcoming draft. This is projected to be a strong year for receivers, and we can be pretty sure that Schneider will select at least one. Maybe two. Even if he acquires a veteran through trade or free agency, it is essential that the Seahawks find a dynamic second wideout in the draft.
Even if they pick up JSN’s fifth-year option (which seems like a no-brainer at this point), they need to begin thinking about a long-term deal that can keep him in Seattle through the end of the decade. For roster-building purposes, that will work best if their second receiver is acquired through the draft either this year or in 2026.
So that’s take-away number one. Schnieder doesn’t begin fielding offers for Metcalf if he doesn’t have a plan – several plans – in place.
The second takeaway is this: If you are in a full-point PPR fantasy league, move Jaxon Smith-Njigba up to the top of your board. Because no matter what those plans are, JSN may catch 150 balls next season.