DK Metcalf has requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday, paving the way for the two sides to part ways after six productive seasons together. Since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2019, Metcalf ranks fifth in receiving touchdowns, 12th in receiving yards and 16th in receptions.
The Seahawks have missed the playoffs in each of the last two years. If their goal is championship contention in 2025 — and I believe it is — they should not trade Metcalf. But as the deals for defensive end Frank Clark in 2019 and quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022 demonstrated, general manager John Schneider is willing to part with star players at premium positions if the compensation is satisfactory.
Also, money talks. The Clark trade came after the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract, and although there were several factors at play in the Wilson deal, money was at least part of the equation.
Metcalf, 27, has the highest 2025 cap hit among NFL receivers but has no guaranteed money remaining entering the final year of his contract, and his average annual salary ranks 13th, according to Over the Cap. The three-year, $72 million extension he signed in July 2022 at age 24 made him the league’s sixth-highest paid receiver. A similar deal when adjusted for the rising salary cap would be in the range of $32 million per year, which would make him one of seven receivers making at least $30 million annually. Any acquiring team would almost certainly need to sign the 27-year-old wideout to a new multiyear contract, and the trade compensation will reflect that.
DK Metcalf requests trade from Seahawks, discussions underway: Sources
The Seahawks do not have to trade Metcalf. A trade would create $10.8 million in cap savings, but the team is already cap compliant and can pull other levers to free more room, such as extending quarterback Geno Smith or restructuring outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu’s contract. There have been instances in which a trade request precedes an eventual extension; this was the case recently with 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk last summer, Arizona safety Budda Baker in 2023 and former 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel in 2022. If Seattle doesn’t like the offers it receives, the team could keep Metcalf and revisit this discussion after the 2025 season, before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
However, if there is potential for a contentious relationship between player and team that negatively impacts the on-field production, both sides would be motivated to get a trade done, assuming the compensation is adequate.
With that in mind, let’s see what the compensation could look like, as our beat writers act as general managers and send in proposals.
Buffalo Bills
Trade offer: 2026 third-round pick, WR Curtis Samuel for Metcalf and 2026 sixth-round pick
Contract offer: Three years, $85.5 million
Metcalf would be an interesting fit for the Bills because he isn’t the smaller, speedy separator you would think of adding, but he does provide most of what they lacked from the receiver room last year. The Bills need someone who can separate in man-to-man coverage and provide a big-play, deep-field threat to utilize Josh Allen’s big arm properly. In the AFC Championship Game, it was abundantly clear the Bills lacked a target who could stretch the field and attack the intermediate areas. Metcalf would accomplish all of those things.
The biggest challenge would be paying him a higher market deal, especially after Buffalo extended slot receiver Khalil Shakir on a team-friendly deal last week. Metcalf would likely want something near Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brandon Aiyuk, around $30 million, and that could be tough, considering the Bills desperately need an impact edge rusher and have somewhere around $30 million in cap space this offseason.
That’s why the offer is a bit muted. However, if the Bills believe Metcalf is their missing piece, and that they can address the defensive line through the draft, the offer certainly has room for negotiation and improvement. — Joe Buscaglia
Green Bay Packers
Offer: WR Romeo Doubs, 2025 fourth-round pick
Contrary to reports last Friday that the Packers had engaged with the Seahawks regarding a Metcalf trade, a source told The Athletic at the time that no talks had happened, let alone the exchange of any firm trade proposals. That doesn’t mean those talks will never happen, and the Packers could feasibly have interest in Metcalf given their need for a true No. 1 wide receiver and Christian Watson’s torn ACL sidelining him for at least half of next season.
The Seahawks will want a young receiver if both Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (who was released Wednesday) depart, so let’s offer Doubs — he scored two spectacular touchdowns in Seattle last season, so the Seahawks saw up close what he’s capable of — and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Is Metcalf worth more than that package? Maybe, but the Packers would also have to give him a new contract, and anything more than that trade compensation, which is still solid for Seattle, might be pushing it for Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst. — Matt Schneidman
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Kansas City Chiefs
Trade offer: 2025 third-round pick (Chiefs’ original pick, No. 95, not the one acquired from the Titans)
Contract offer: Three years, $85 million with $40 million guaranteed
The Chiefs need a true X receiver. There’s nobody better on the market to fit that need than Metcalf, who is still in his prime and can dominate one-on-one matchups on the perimeter. Just imagine Metcalf lining up with tight end Travis Kelce or receiver Rashee Rice in the slot and speedy receiver Xavier Worthy going in motion before the ball is snapped.
On this contract extension, Metcalf would be making true No. 1 receiver money, as the seventh-highest-paid player at his position. His deal would also end around the time when the Chiefs would need to sign Rice and Worthy to new contracts. — Nate Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
Trade offer: 2025 second-round pick (No. 37), 2026 third-round pick
Contract offer: Three years, $93.75 million with $60 million guaranteed
Obviously, the Raiders’ first-round pick (No. 6) is off limits. Though a second- and third-round pick is still a hefty price to pay, it could be worth it to acquire a legitimate No. 1 receiver. From a contract perspective, the Raiders would be offering Metcalf an average annual salary of $31.25 million, exceeding the mark 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk hit last year, but with less guaranteed money. If Metcalf’s representatives play hard ball, the team could be willing to guarantee some of the wideout’s 2025 base salary.
Metcalf would be reunited with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, and he’d team with Jakobi Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers to give the Raiders a scary pass-catching trio. Las Vegas would just need to find a quarterback who can get them the ball. — Tashan Reed
Los Angeles Chargers
Trade offer: 2025 fourth-round pick
Contract offer: No immediate contract extension
Metcalf makes sense for the Chargers on several levels. They need an X receiver who can attack defenses outside the numbers. Metcalf fits that mold, and his skill set would certainly open up the middle of the field for slot receiver Ladd McConkey. Chargers receivers coach Sanjay Lal also coached Metcalf for two seasons in Seattle. He went over 1,000 yards in both of those seasons. So there is a familiarity element as well.
The big question is whether Metcalf would demand an extension. I think it makes way more sense for the Chargers if they could bring Metcalf in and have him play out the final year of his contract as is. That way they could confirm whether he fits their program and with Justin Herbert before making a long-term commitment. If Metcalf would play for the Chargers only on an extension, I do not see the same value, and I would not make the trade in that scenario. It would be too much risk without any proof of concept. — Daniel Popper
New England Patriots
Trade offer: 2025 second-round pick (No. 38), 2026 third-round pick
Contract offer: Three years, $80 million
The Patriots are in a tough spot. They desperately need a wide receiver, but none seems interested in playing for them. Metcalf has already hinted that he doesn’t have a ton of interest in playing in New England, but money talks, and the Pats have a lot of it they can offer. He has a base salary of $18 million this season, but the guess here is the Patriots could figure out an extension in the three-year, $80 million range. The trade offer here should be rather competitive, which reflects how badly the Patriots need whatever wide receiver they can get. — Chad Graff
Pittsburgh Steelers
Trade offer: 2025 third-round pick, WR Roman Wilson
Contract offer: Three years, $90 million with $45 million guaranteed
Steelers general manager Omar Khan often holds his cards close to the vest at the NFL Scouting Combine, answering questions with generalities or in vague terms. However, his most direct answer of the week came when Khan was asked about the need to upgrade at the receiver position.
“It’s obviously a priority,” Khan said. “I’m not going to run from that. That’s just the reality.”
When Khan was promoted to GM in May 2022, wide receiver was considered one of the Steelers’ deepest and most talented position groups. Turns out, it was actually just the most dysfunctional. Khan traded Chase Claypool during the 2022 season and Diontae Johnson after the 2023 campaign. The most reliable remaining receiver, George Pickens, is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which means the team could be reaching a crossroads with him, as well. Handing Pickens an extension would be a big risk, given his mercurial nature.
Instead, the Steelers could remake their receiver room by trading for a marquee receiver like Metcalf, inking a free agent and finding a gem in the draft. Every option will be on the table for the Steelers regarding Pickens, including a trade. It’s not the wildest idea to think about including Pickens in this trade, too, as a way to drive down the price and jump-start the makeover. — Mike DeFabo
The verdict
I figured the Seahawks wouldn’t get offered a first-round pick, given Metcalf’s age and résumé. That said, any deal that doesn’t include at least a second-round pick is a non-starter for Seattle. Metcalf doesn’t turn 28 until December, he’s missed only three games because of injury in six years and the Seahawks wouldn’t be shipping him off as part of a massive rebuild, so the return must put the team in position to acquire an impact player.
Metcalf is going to Las Vegas to reunite with coach Pete Carroll. The Raiders’ package offers the best combination of draft capital and a contract extension. New England’s offer is good, too, but Metcalf earlier this offseason described Massachusetts as an undesirable place to live, plus the contract offer isn’t as strong. It’s unclear who would throw Metcalf the ball in Las Vegas, but that wasn’t clear when he signed his extension in July 2022, either. Again, money talks.
(Photo of DK Metcalf, right, and Pete Carroll: Steven Ryan / Getty Images)
