Seahawks two-time Pro Bowl WR requests trade

Seahawks brass met with Metcalf Wednesday, per Pelissero, and the sides agreed to pursue a trade path. A team that would acquire Metcalf would need to either have an extension ready or be prepared to authorize one shortly. Metcalf wants a new deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Metcalf joins Cooper Kupp on the trade block, as Deebo Samuel — who had signed a similar extension to Metcalf’s in 2022 — moved off it via his trade to the Commanders. 

The 49ers fetching a fifth-round pick will be relevant to the Seahawks, but Metcalf has been a bit more consistent than Samuel. Metcalf has gone for at least 900 receiving yards in each of his six NFL seasons, thrice eclipsing 1,000. He has two Pro Bowls on his resume, along with a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020. Metcalf is coming off a 992-yard season, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba surged to the top of the Seattle receiving hierarchy.

A recent report suggested the Patriots kicked the tires on Metcalf. New England has been in pursuit of a No. 1-level wideout for a while now. Other teams will step in as well. The Steelers inquired about Metcalf before last year’s deadline. They may be back at the table soon as well, though the prospect of needing to extend Metcalf also could lead to reduced trade offers coming Seattle’s way. 

The extension topic, naturally, has opened the door to a potential trade. Were the Seahawks all in here, they would merely work with Metcalf’s camp on a third contract.

The big-bodied wideout has proven skeptics wrong, as he had slipped to No. 64 overall in the 2019 draft, and has done well to reward the Seahawks on the three-year, $72M deal they authorized in 2022. Metcalf topped 1,000 yards in 2022 and 2023, totaling 1,114 yards in the latter season. He also has next to no notable injury history. The Ole Miss alum has missed just three games in six seasons.

The Seahawks teamed Metcalf and Lockett for six years, seeing the two form one of this era’s best receiver duos. Smith-Njigba has changed the equation a bit, but it will still be a blow for Seattle to lose both of its dependable veterans in a single offseason. A receiver need, as the Seahawks swung and missed on Dee Eskridge earlier this decade, will emerge if Metcalf is dealt.

A trade at this juncture would be an interesting move, as Mike Macdonald‘s OC search involved questions about who could coax more from the 6-foot-4 pass-catcher. Macdonald had viewed Metcalf as too often a decoy under Ryan Grubb. It would cost Seattle $21M in dead money to trade him, but an extension would help reduce a $31.88M 2025 cap hit. Only Geno Smith is tied to a higher number on the Hawks’ payroll.

Metcalf is due an $18M base salary in 2025. While Washington did not have an extension waiting for Samuel, he has submitted uneven work on his second contract. Metcalf being a more reliable player without a comparable injury history would swing a door open wider for a payday to come immediately — if the Seahawks move him.