Seattle for Sale: Two Ways D.K. Metcalf Lands With a Bucs Rival
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver went from being one of the most underrated players in the 2019 NFL Draft to one of the most over-evaluated following a standout performance at the Scouting Combine that year, and now he may be heading to the NFC South where he'd face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice every season.
At least, that's if recent rumors of trade offers being made and considered are to be believed.
Metcalf trade speculation began as soon as the news quarterback Russell Wilson was headed to the Denver Broncos.
And after months of Seattle saying they wouldn't be trading the quarterback, any assertions made that their star receiver may be shipped out, will be understandably dismissed.
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So the speculation continues, and ESPN's staff of writers got together to pitch potential offers the Seahawks might receive with offers drummed up by the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, among others.
Mike Triplett offered up the Saints' 2022 first and third-round picks (Nos. 16 and 98) in this year's draft for Metcalf.
"New Orleans already made one aggressive move to add a second first-round pick in a trade with the Eagles," Triplett wrote. "In this scenario, the Saints would parlay that into filling their most glaring need for a premium pass catcher...Adding Metcalf would make the Saints' offense a bit of a mystery -- in a good way."
Representing the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Rothstein offered up the team's second and fifth-round picks in 2022 (Nos. 58 and 151), along with a fourth-round pick in 2023.
"The Falcons desperately need wide receivers," Rothstein wrote. "This deal would take away some capital for 2022 that could hurt in the short term, but they would still keep the No. 8 overall pick to get another premier starter."
I'm not sure the Seahawks would seriously consider a trade offer that didn't include a 2022 first-round pick in the NFL Draft, but it's an interesting proposition nonetheless.
In the end, Brady Henderson playing the role of Seahawks general manager made a decision he wrote was more difficult than he had originally anticipated after receiving offers from the Falcons, Saints, Eagles, Browns, Chiefs, Jets, and Packers.
"My starting point was two first-round picks or something of equivalent value," Henderson wrote. "Because if I'm Schneider and Carroll, how could I even consider anything less than that after giving up more in the Jamal Adams trade?"
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This automatically eliminated the Falcons and Eagles offers with the Browns also getting cut in the first swing even with quarterback Baker Mayfield involved in the deal.
"Of the four offers that included a first-round pick, the Jets' was easily the best," Henderson continued. "I don't think it's enough for the Seahawks, though."
While the Jets got closest by offering picks 10 and 69 in the 2022 NFL Draft, Henderson has the Seahawks staying with Metcalf and trying to ink a long-term deal instead.
And of course, this is good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if the real Seahawks follow suit.
For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!
