DK Metcalf 'Very Shocked' By Seahawks Decision to Trade Russell Wilson, Cut Bobby Wagner
Since news broke of the Seahawks decision to trade Russell Wilson to the Broncos earlier this month, opinions on the move have slowly trickled in from former teammates. On Tuesday, star receiver DK Metcalf finally shared his thoughts on the departure of the star quarterback.
Speaking on the KG Certified podcast with NBA legend Kevin Garnett, Metcalf said he received a phone call from Seattle's player personnel director on the morning of March 8 while doing a photo shoot for Gatorade and relayed to him a trade might happen. Despite the rampant speculation about the signal caller's future over the past two seasons, he had never expected the organization to deal a player of his magnitude.
Then, only an hour later, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wilson would indeed be heading to the Mile High City, leaving the star wideout stunned in disbelief as his quarterback was jettisoned out of town.
"I was very shocked because I never thought he was going to leave Seattle," Metcalf told Garnett.
According to Metcalf, he didn't hear from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider until later that night. He understood why, as the team's brain trust had plenty on their plates with Wilson being traded and the team also preparing to release linebacker Bobby Wagner. It was one of the toughest days in franchise history with two future Hall of Famers exiting at the same time.
While Metcalf took the news of both players leaving hard, Wagner's departure hit him like a ton of bricks and arguably surprised him even more. With the veteran linebacker taking the youngster under his wing, they had become close friends during their three seasons playing together in Seattle and also spent extensive time together off the field, including playing pool at Wagner's home regularly.
Coming off a season with 170 tackles and his eighth All-Pro selection, the soft-spoken Metcalf couldn't believe Wagner, who he called his "big brother," was released so unceremoniously by the Seahawks. But the NFL is a business first and foremost and with a $20 million cap hit, the team made the difficult choice moving on from a popular player.
"For him to get cut like that, he didn't do anything wrong," Metcalf said of Wagner. "The perfect professional that any organization would want."
Entering the final year of his rookie contract with Wilson and Wagner no longer in the picture, Metcalf knows some of the onus will fall on him to help fill the leadership void left behind. Though he's only 24 years old, he's one of the few team's few proven stars still on the roster. After becoming only the seventh receiver in NFL history to produce 3,100 yards and 29 receiving touchdowns in his first three seasons and breaking Steve Largent's single-season receiving yards mark in 2020, teammates will be looking to his direction for guidance.
Admitting Wilson and Wagner allowed him to take more of a back seat in the early portion of his career, with a lucrative contract extension soon coming his way, he doesn't have that luxury anymore and he's ready to take the torch from his predecessors as the face of a new era of Seahawks football. Just don't expect him to suddenly become super vocal, as he plans to stay within himself and lead by his actions rather than words.
"I think it's time for me to step up and be a leader. It's my time in Seattle, that's the way I'm looking at it."
