Insiders believe there is only one destination for D.K. Metcalf if he’s traded

Be very wary of whatever you hear about potential trades during the NFL Combine. Seattle Seahawks fans got a fresh reminder of that yesterday when former Seahawks Sports Illustrated editor Corbin Smith reported that Seattle was in talks with the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots and another unnamed team about DK Metcalf trade scenarios.

However, a short time later at least a part of the report was shot down by The Athletic's Packers beat reporter Matt Schneidman, who says no such talks are happening, at least not between Seattle and Green Bay. As for New England, their beat writers don't believe the Pats will land Metcalf, either.

According to Patriots beat reporters at MassLive, their league sources say if the Seahawks are going to trade Metcalf it's only going to be to one team: Pete Carroll's Las Vegas Raiders.

"If Seahawks wideout D.K. Metcalf is dealt, people around the league believe it’ll be to Las Vegas to reunite with Pete Carroll."

nfl — Nov 27, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) signs autographs during pregame warmups against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Raiders are an obvious fit for Metcalf given the Carroll connection and their desperate need for talent at wide receiver. However, for the trade to work out the Seahawks will have to get a real bonanza of draft capital, because if they deal DK before June 1 they'd be taking a massive $21 million dead money hit, while only saving less than $11 million in cap room.

Other AFC teams that need help at wide receiver include the Chargers, Browns, Steelers, Ravens, Bills and Colts. Between now and the draft you should expect to see a lot of content directed towards those teams potentially getting Metcalf in a trade, but don't expect it to actually happen.

Unless they get a wild, lopsided Luka Doncic type offer, DK isn't going anywhere.

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