The NFL offseason is a lot like online dating -teams swipe left or right, hoping to find the perfect match. Some players get courted instantly. Others? Well, they end up refreshing their notifications, wondering why no one’s texting back. Right now, DK Metcalf is experiencing the latter.

The Seahawks wideout thought putting himself on the market would spark a bidding war. But instead, it’s been radio silence from teams that should, in theory, be interested. Metcalf’s quest for a new team isn’t exactly going as planned. And it’s starting to feel like a case of ‘be careful what you wish for‘. The Seahawks’ star WR reportedly requested a trade. Still, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the market for him is ice-cold – ironic, since Metcalf apparently “wants to go to a warm weather organization.”

Russini spilled the tea during a chat with Fox’s Colin Cowherd on his show ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd.’ The Athletic reporter revealed that no team in need of a wide receiver is ready for a Metcalf trade, from Jim Harbaugh‘s Chargers to Mike Vrabel‘s Patriots. “Every team that needs a receiver right now, the Panthers, Jacksonville, Houston, Patriots, Chargers, for now, I can tell you none of those teams are going to pay that price,” Russini said. She mentioned that she has reached out to these teams and that “they are not going to do it.“

The Seahawks have now virtually lost two of their WRs, as they also released veteran Tyler Lockett. But Lockett’s release was something we had seen coming. The 32-year-old recorded a career low this season, with 49 receptions while racking up 600 yards. He only managed two touchdowns in the entire season. And now, after playing 10 seasons with the team and being their second-most prolific receiver of all time, he is bidding goodbye.

But when it comes to Metcalf’s trade, things are a bit different.

DK Metcalf’s trade status: What we know so far

The Seahawks might not have agreed to a trade if Metcalf’s and Geno Smith‘s contract extensions hadn’t fallen under the same timeline. Both DK and Geno have one year left on their contracts, which means the team has two big contract extensions to figure out. On top of that, Seattle is also making roster moves such as releasing Lockett to manage the salary cap situation. You could say that Seattle has to sort of choose between Geno and DK, as the team might not have enough financial flexibility to get two expensive deals done. So, they’d rather do a trade now.

But mind you, they are not letting him walk for free. “The compensation they’re looking for is a first and third in exchange for the wide receiver,” said Russini. DK Metcalf is in the prime years of his career. Last season, an MCL sprain forced the WR to miss two games. But now that he is back on the market, he is looking for a chance to play with a strong team that could make a championship run. DK wants a big contract as well. “DK wants a new deal. He wants about $30 million a year,” added Russini. 

The problem here is that some franchises are interested, but they might not be willing to pay such a big price. A first- and third-round pick in exchange? Umm, no. That’s where they are hesitant. Dianna reports, “I’ve talked to people around the league that definitely had their eye on Seattle over the last few weeks, knowing that they could possibly be moving on, just feel that the price is just too high.”

This means that both the franchise and the WR might need to take their valuation of him down a notch. If they’re interested in getting things sorted quickly. Of course, they could choose to play the waiting game and see if some franchise is desperate enough for proven league talent like Metcalf when things get sticky in a couple of months. The Hawks themselves would need to consider the time needed to find a replacement. While Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his impressive start to his career, Lockett and Metcalf’s departures will leave them sorely lacking experience.

But, for now, Metcalf is getting the cold shoulder from other franchises. The Seahawks, on their part, are playing it cool. It will be interesting to see where this all leads as free agency looms ever closer.