Did Packers ‘Inquire’ About Seahawks Stars Lockett, Metcalf?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A report amplified by The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday stated the Green Bay Packers “have inquired” about the availability of the Seattle Seahawks’ premier receiver tandem of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

While that may be true – teams inquire about a lot of players – a source when asked about the report responded only with the “Face with Tears of Joy Emoji.”

The report McAfee discussed originated from Jack Settleman, the head of writing at Underdog Fantasy, who posted on Wednesday that the Seahawks are “open to listening to offers” but “nothing is imminent” with the Packers or Kansas City Chiefs.

The dots are easy to connect. The Packers need an impact receiver and the Seahawks are looking to reboot after trading quarterback Russell Wilson.

Green Bay’s trade of All-Pro Davante Adams created a major hole at receiver, one that only deepened when Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs on Thursday.

The returning quintet of Allen Lazard (40 receptions, 513 yards, eight touchdowns), Randall Cobb (28-375-5), Juwann Winfree (8-58-0), Amari Rodgers (4-45-0) and Malik Taylor (2-14-0) combined for 82 receptions for 1,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022.

A top-heavy group of free-agent receivers has been picked over. Odell Beckham, who arrived in Los Angeles and helped the Rams win the championship, is the best available player but he suffered a torn ACL in the Super Bowl and might not be available until late in the season.

Jarvis Landry, 29, is coming off the second-worst season of his career in terms of yards per game and catch rate. Julio Jones, 33, has played in only 19 of 33 games the past two seasons. Will Fuller, 27, has played in only 31 of 65 games the past four seasons. Emmanuel Sanders is 35, AJ Green is 33 and T.Y. Hilton is 32.

There’s nothing old or broken down about Lockett and Metcalf.

Lockett, 29, was a third-round pick in 2015. His seven-year totals are 449 receptions for 6,067 yards and 45 touchdowns. He’s topped 1,000 yards the past three seasons and has scored a total of 36 touchdowns the last four years. At 5-foot-10, he’s got 4.40 speed. In 2021, he led the NFL with 20 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.

A second-round pick in 2019, the 24-year-old Metcalf’s three-year totals are 216 receptions for 3,170 yards (14.7 average) and 29 touchdowns. He’s played in every game and is a freak of nature at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds with 4.33 speed.

Based on OverTheCap’s computing and new contracts for tight end Robert Tonyan and defensive lineman Jarran Reed, the Packers have about $15.14 million of cap space. Lockett, who is under contract through 2025 via the extension he inked almost a year ago, has a 2022 cap charge of $10.05 million. Metcalf, who is entering his final season under contract, has a cap charge of $4.32 million.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (signed with Chiefs)

WR Equanimeous St. Brown (signed with Bears)

TE Robert Tonyan (re-signed with Packers)

RT Dennis Kelly

G Lucas Patrick (signed with Bears)

DT Tyler Lancaster

OLB Whitney Mercilus

ILB De’Vondre Campbell (re-signed with Packers)

ILB Oren Burks (signed with 49ers)

CB Rasul Douglas (re-signed with Packers to form potential no-fly zone)

CB Chandon Sullivan

CB Kevin King