Star wide receiver DK Metcalf has formally requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks , and the club intends to explore the trade options, according to a report by NFL Network , immediately rocketing Metcalf to the top of the list of wide receivers potentially available to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
The Seahawks reportedly had some preliminary conversations with the Green Bay Packers about a trade for Metcalf that included one of the team's young receivers and the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
If that's the value the Seahawks will be demanding, such a trade could be difficult for the Steelers to pull off. They could send their first-round pick and 2024 draft pick Roman Wilson in such a trade. Wilson may have increased value to the Seahawks since Seattle also released veteran slot receiver Tyler Lockett on Wednesday.
In addition to whatever the trading team would give up to get Metcalf, they will also have to meet his contract demands. He is set to earn $18 million in 2025, but that salary is not guaranteed. He is seeking a new contract extension. Trading Metcalf before June 1 will cause Seattle to incur a $21 million dead cap hit, but will still net them $10.9 million in savings in 2025.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 18, 2021. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Seahawks' second-round pick out of Ole Miss in the 2019 NFL Draft, Metcalf has spent his entire NFL career in Seattle. He most-productive season came in 2020, when he caught 83 passes for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's been a 1,000-yard receiver three times in six years and has had at least 900 yards in each of his NFL seasons. In 2024, Metcalf caught 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns.
The Steelers have a desperate need at wide receiver, where only George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are set to return from last year's rotation, along withWilson, who missed almost all of his rookie season with injuries. Pickens is entering the final season of his rookie contract and has an uncertain future with the team.
Metcalf would give the team a potential star that would allow the team to move on from Pickens after 2025 — or potentially even before. Additionally, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound wide receiver would be the kind of physical specimen the Steelers haven't had as a blocker at wide receiver since losing JuJu Smith-Schuster to free agency.
Metcalf will likely be in high demand, with a weak wide receiver free agent class and an underwhelming group in the 2025 NFL Draft. Furthermore, if the price isn't high enough, the Seahawks could try to keep their disgruntled star.
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