Mina Kimes breaks down DK Metcalf trade request, rise of Jaxon Smith-Njigba

It's already been a wild and eventful week for the Seattle Seahawks and there may be a lot more to come soon. At the moment the biggest story is of course DK Metcalf's shocking trade request, which upended the team's plans to honor Tyler Lockett as he was released after 10 years.

Metcalf's request set the ever-churning trade scenario mill into overdrive, with DK being linked to as many as 10 teams around the league by some analysts. But why would the Seahawks even consider trading away the best player on their team when he's still in his prime?

Short answer: they may have found someone better. Here's Seahawks superfan and ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes breaking down why Seattle might be willing to deal DK coinciding with the rise of Jaxon Smith-Njigba on yesterday's episode of Around the Horn.

Mina Kimes on DK Metcalf, JSN

One likely factor in the Seahawks' willingness to explore a Metcalf trade: The emerge of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who ranked 7th league-wide in yards/route run and 5th in explosive play rate in the second half of last season. pic.twitter.com/8iyDbEVyEY
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 5, 2025

These are all good points, and above all else a trade gets the Seahawks out from under from having to pay $30 million or more per year when he's not even going to be their number one target.

Then again, Seattle might not get nearly as much for Metcalf in a real-life trade compared to what most scenarios are projecting at this point. Supposedly the Seahawks are asking for a first and a third for DK, which they won't get. So far the best offer they've gotten per Josina Anderson is just a third-round pick.

If a third is all they're going to get for Metcalf, they're better off not doing it at all. For now we're still hopeful that a deal can be worked out between DK and the Seahawks.

Mina Kimes on DK Metcalf, JSN

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