Seahawks WR DK Metcalf Hires New Agency, Links Up With CAA Football
With his first two NFL seasons under his belt, DK Metcalf won't be able to begin negotiations for a second contract until after the conclusion for the 2021 season. But the Seahawks budding superstar receiver has already started making moves in preparation for when that time arrives.
Metcalf has officially hired CAA Football as his new representation, linking him with a powerful agency that represents numerous NFL stars including his former Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin. He previously was represented by agent Ben Renzin, who departed for WME Sports late last year.
Since falling out of the first round and being snagged by Seattle with the No. 64 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, Metcalf has quickly emerged as one of the league's most dynamic weapons. Bursting on the scene as a rookie, he caught 58 passes for 900 yards and scored seven touchdowns, eventually setting a rookie playoff record with 160 receiving yards in a wild card win over Philadelphia.
Proving his stellar debut season was not a fluke, Metcalf got off to a scintillating start to his sophomore campaign, surpassing 90 yards in seven of the Seahawks first eight games and scoring eight touchdowns during that span. In four of those games, he exceeded 100 yards, including posting 161 receiving yards and two scores in a Week 8 win over the 49ers.
While his production tapered off in the second half as Seattle's offense sputtered, Metcalf set a new career-high with 177 receiving yards in a Week 12 victory in Philadelphia. He surpassed Hall of Famer Steve Largent as the franchise's new single-season record holder for receiving yardage in Week 17 against San Francisco and closed out the season with 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Though the Seahawks fell 30-20 to the Rams in the wild card round, Metcalf stood out as one of the few bright spots, snagging five receptions for 96 yards and scoring two touchdowns, including hauling in a 51-yard touchdown grab.
Turning only 23 years old in December, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Metcalf hasn't come close to reaching his ceiling and told reporters he now has his sights set on pursuing Calvin Johnson's NFL single-season record. As far as specific areas for improvement are concerned, he's still growing as a route runner and will aim once again to fix his drop issues, as he was credited with eight dropped passes in 2020.
For now, Metcalf remains one of the NFL's biggest bargains, as he's due to earn just $911,914 in his third season in Seattle, per Spotrac. His salary will creep north of a million dollars in 2022, still well outside of the top 50 receivers in the league.
By changing representation now and joining a more formidable agency, Metcalf clearly is thinking ahead towards when he will be eligible for a lucrative extension when he can cash in for his efforts.
Assuming Metcalf continues developing as expected and his production only goes up in year No. 3, the Seahawks better be ready for intense negotiations to lock up the rising star for the foreseeable future. There's a very strong chance he could push for north of $20 million per year to join the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, and Julio Jones amongst the NFL's elite at the position and he now has the right agency backing him to make it happen.
