DK Metcalf Joins Legion Of Veteran Wide Receivers Suddenly Available For The Right Price

The Seattle Seahawks have apparently been flooded with phone calls from other teams interested in trading for DK Metcalf and that is not surprising, because the receiver is an elite athlete who is 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds and runs like the wind and produces catches, yards and touchdowns as if they are coming off an assembly line.

But …

It actually is kind of surprising because, again, DK Metcalf is an elite athlete who is 6-4 and 235 pounds and runs like the wind and produces catches, yards and touchdowns as if they're coming off an assembly line, and why on God's green Earth would the Seahawks be willing to send that kind of talent packing?

RENTON, WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: John Schneider, general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, reacts as he announces Mike Macdonald (not pictured) as the new Seattle Seahawks head coach at Virginia Mason Athletic Center on February 01, 2024 in Renton, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

John Schneider: We're Taking Calls

"We are talking to a ton of teams, taking offers, seeing what that looks like, and yeah, here we go," Seahawks general manager told Seattle Sports 710 AM on Thursday.

The Raiders and Green Bay Packers are among the teams that have called the Seahawks, per a league source.

And here we go into the 2025 NFL offseason with multiple big-name receivers becoming available and expendable or, at least, potentially expendable.

Cooper Kupp? The Rams told him he'll be traded or released.

Deebo Samuel? Traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Washington Commanders.

Davante Adams? The Jets tried to trade him but couldn't because of his contract, so he's a free agent – one who caught a combined 85 passes for 1,063 yards and 8 TDs in New York and Las Vegas last season.

Tee Higgins? Teams have been calling the Bengals asking about his availability because Cincinnati cannot seem to figure out a way to get him signed to a contract extension and has applied the franchise tag on him two consecutive years – something Higgins is not happy about, per sources.

Jaguars Move On From Kirk

The Jaguars, meanwhile, on Wednesday agreed to trade Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars planned to release Kirk by the start of the new league year next Wednesday. But they moved him and got a draft pick instead.

But it's a seventh-round pick.

In 2026, so not even in the coming draft in April.

And the Jaguars traded him to the Houston Texans, which, looking at NFL divisional standings real quick, play in the same division as the Jaguars.

It's crazy.

Even Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen, a team leader, is in disbelief.

"Kirk to Houston can't be real," Hines-Allen said on social media.

None of this addresses what's about to happen in free agency, where some of the receivers available have been Pro Bowl contributors in the past but haven't been re-signed by their current teams.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Free Agency Offers Big Names

That list includes Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Marquis "Hollywood" Brown and Amari Cooper.

So, again, what's up with all the receiver availability? With all the potential movement?

Well, firstly … it's not all by design.

The Seahawks, for example, on Wednesday released Tyler Lockett after 10 seasons as one of the best receivers in franchise history. And that's the same day the trade request from Metcalf's camp leaked to the media.

Firstly, who is quarterback Geno Smith going to throw the ball to? Secondly, that's some timing on news stories.

The thing is the Seahawks have no choice but to field calls on Metcalf because, following contract extension discussions, it has become clear to everyone involved the player and the team don't agree on the dollar figures.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) catches a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

DK Metcalf Trade Price Will Be High

So Metcalf, entering the final year of a deal he signed in 2022, is now on the market.

"The thing to understand here is that our responsibility to (Seahawks chair) Jody Allen, the 12s, first and foremost, is doing what's absolutely best for the organization," Schneider said.

"And then what's best for the player," he added. "Hopefully, both those things merge, and it's an ideal situation. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't. Hopefully, in this situation it does, and that would be great. But worst-case scenario, I mean, we have an amazing, explosive, powerful athlete playing receiver for us again in 2025. So we'll see where this goes."

Let's fully understand what's happening here: The Seahawks are exploring if they can move on from Metcalf, who at age 27 is just about to hit his prime, and get the kind of return in trade that makes the transaction a net-plus.

That's going to be hard.

Just as it's going to be hard for the Rams to replace Kupp – who has been quarterback Matthew Stafford's favorite target.

Just as the Jets are going to have a hard time replacing Adams' production.

Just as the idea that teams can find comparable receivers in the draft is an open question with no certain answer.

Most of this potential and actual movement is about money. Players not getting what they think they deserve are asking out. Players not living up to past deal are being released. But that doesn't make it any less curious.

The idea that so much talent at the same position is potentially on the move, all at the same time, is fascinating.