Three reasons the Seattle Seahawks should not trade DK Metcalf

The NFL trade deadline is on November 5. Every season, 12s get to read about lots of speculation that some key Seattle Seahawks, such as DK Metcalf, might be traded. Heck, even we here at 12th Man Rising have put forth ideas.

However, the truth is that while Seattle does have some glaring needs along the offensive line and in the secondary, moving on from Metcalf should not be an option. Trading Metcalf doesn't fix a problem but only creates another one. He is signed through 2025 and he needs to stay on the team.

People will still talk about a Metcalf trade, though. Mike Salk of Seattle Sports 710 AM wrote an article about it recently and talks about a potential move quite a lot lately on his morning radio show. Here are three reasons DK Metcalf should not be traded, though.

Three reasons the Seattle Seahawks should not try to trade DK Metcalf

The trade market for DK Metcalf does not make a move worth it

The market for wide receivers has changed a bit since AJ Brown was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. The Titans were able to get a first-round choice as well as a third-round pick back for Brown. According to what the NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah told Seattle Sports 710 AM on Wednesday, the best Seattle could do in a Metcalf trade is maybe a second-round choice and a third-round pick.

Any trade of Metcalf should bring a first-round draft pick back. He is one of the top 15 receivers in the NFL and a second-round choice simply does not hold the value that Metcalf does with his production. Sure, Metcalf was taken in the second round himself, but that was simply a gift to Seattle. He should have been a first-round choice.

The money is not right to trade DK Metcalf

The receiver has one year left on his current deal. If and when he hits free agency after the 2025 season, he will probably get a new deal that pays him $30 million or more. He currently makes an average of $24 million a season. Those numbers might give weight to the argument to trade Metcalf because Seattle wouldn't have to spend so much money in the future.

The problem is the dead money that moving Metcalf would bring. His cap hit in 2025 is $31,875,471, but according to Over the Cap, Metcalf's dead money would still be nearly $14 million. Yes, Seattle saves some money by trading Metcalf, but not enough to make the deal worthwhile.

The Seahawks do not have another receiver like DK Metcalf

Ideally, Seattle has three good receivers. Metcalf, however, is by far the most consistent and most productive of that group. In 2023, Metcalf led the team easily in receiving yards, yards per catch, and receiving touchdowns. Through six games, he already leads second-place Tyler Lockett in receiving yards by 160, and Metcalf averages almost two more yards per reception than any other Seahawk.

For all the on-field drama that Metcalf can bring, he is still the receiver the opposing defenses have to account for much more than Lockett or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Lockett and JSN are smaller and quicker receivers, but neither of them can take the top off a defense like Metcalf can. Plus, Seattle shouldn't waste a first-round choice on a receiver to replace Metcalf when the team currently has bigger needs in needing a right tackle and linebacker.

More Seahawks news and analysis: