DK Metcalf Reiterates Confidence in Extension Talks With Seahawks: 'We Gon' Get Something Done'
Amidst significant organizational changes and a whirlwind of trade rumors, DK Metcalf and the Seahawks' top brass have remained consistent with their messaging: they're not splitting up.
Following day one of the 2022 NFL Draft, Metcalf hopped on Club Shay Shay—a podcast hosted by Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe—and didn't mince words when asked about his contract negotiations with Seattle.
"I will say, we gon' get something done," Metcalf stated. "I think I'mma be in Seattle for the next coming years."
This offseason has proved to be a litmus test for Metcalf's commitment to the Seahawks. He has seen the only quarterback he's truly known at the NFL level, Russell Wilson, get traded to the Broncos. One of his closest friends on the team, linebacker Bobby Wagner, was released just hours after the news of Wilson's stunning departure broke.
In the wake of those moves, players from other teams have begun courting Metcalf on social media, which he's continuously shut down.
"I'm not looking to be recruited," Metcalf laughed. "If the Seahawks trade me, that's one thing. If I'm looking to be traded, then that's another. But I'm not looking right now."
As free agency began, high-profile receivers, including Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill, started switching teams at an unprecedented rate, netting their former teams multiple premium draft choices via trade and landing contract extensions worth somewhere in the ballpark of $30 million per season. Such deals have added more fuel to the narrative that Seattle could entertain the thought of trading its 24-year old star receiver.
Metcalf's dear friend and former teammate at Ole Miss, A.J. Brown, was also moved after extension talks with the Titans broke down. Dealt the night before Metcalf sat down with Sharpe, Brown signed a four-year contract extension with the Eagles as part of his trade to Philadelphia. Odds are Metcalf is looking for something very similar.
But despite the major change of scenery in Seattle and the abundance of potential outside influences and distractions, Metcalf's loyalty to the Pacific Northwest has not wavered—and that doesn't have to be the case if he doesn't want it to be. Metcalf is one of the top young talents in the NFL and, as such, has earned the right to dictate the path of his career moving forward if he sees fit. He's at the point now where if the Seahawks cannot give him what he desires, someone else will.
However, even with Seattle currently set to go from an MVP-caliber quarterback in Wilson to a competition between a pair of failed former second-round draft picks in Drew Lock and Geno Smith, Metcalf is seemingly choosing to trust the process as he takes on a bigger leadership role.
"I got my chips on Geno and Drew Lock right now," Metcalf affirmed. "I think Drew Lock was in a situation where, you know, he was forced to do a lot at a young age and the environment didn't really suit him the best. I think him being in Seattle with Pete [Carroll] in a positive environment is going to help him get his confidence back."
Metcalf, of course, is not going to speak poorly of the men he's slated to catch passes from this fall. But this is also not the first time this offseason he's gone out of his way to speak highly of Lock, whose struggles are widely expected to continue no matter the situation he's in.
If those doubts ring true and the Seahawks, whether they're helmed by Lock, Smith or another passer, suffer a second consecutive losing season, Metcalf plans to use his power to enact change, whether that be for the franchise or for himself.
"Nobody goes in playing to lose," Metcalf said. "So I'm not about to plan to lose or think about losing 'cause it's not in my DNA—it's not in my repertoire. But if it does happen, then, you know, I'll probably say something to Pete and John [Schneider] that we need to make some changes, but right now I'm not thinking about losing and or don't think we have a chance of not making the playoffs."
There appears to be a great mutual respect between the young Metcalf and the Seahawks, which has only been reinforced by the former's actions this past week. While he's currently recovering from offseason foot surgery and still doesn't have a new contract in tow, Metcalf still made a point to be present for voluntary team workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center prior to the draft.
"It was a great statement for our guys," Carroll recognized following the third and final day of the draft on Saturday. "He's back in the rehab mode, but he wanted to show that this is his place and he has a responsibility to it and as we do also. I thought it was a great start to the offseason.
That respect extends to the development of their negotiations and the way Metcalf envisions them playing out.
"I know my worth," Metcalf declared. "And I know the Seahawks are not gon' take that away from me or take my worth down or anything. We in a good place, I'm in a good place and I know it's not gon' be anything that I have to worry about. ... I don't see [a holdout] happening. And if it does, us and the Seahawks are going to take proper steps to where it's not gon' be a big media thing or a big fiasco up in Seattle."
Understandably, Metcalf has left the door open for any and all possibilities, but it's clear he expects to be with the Seahawks for the foreseeable future. The feeling is more or less the same on the opposite end of the bargaining table.
"We're really communicating great," Carroll noted to the Seattle press, echoing Metcalf's statements to Sharpe. "We've been on a great wavelength to move forward and hopefully this will all work out. We don't plan on him going anywhere else. We want him to be with us."
