“From my understanding, going into the Atlanta game, I think he was tops in the league in targets. It’s that trend of focus we’ve got on the offense that we’re shooting for… But we want to get the (foot)ball to DK, we want to make sure that he’s a focal point of our offense for sure.” During the NFL Combine, Mike Macdonald straightaway revealed the importance of DK Metcalf in his offense. He even admitted that his priority is to give him the football more often. But was that pledge only for the Combine? What happened this week that Metcalf is now seeking a trade?

In reality, it’s not that hard to see why. One reason behind this is pretty simple – Mike Macdonald’s team doesn’t exactly have a ton of cap flexibility. The wide receiver is entering the final year of his contract. And if the reports are true, DK Metcalf might ask for $30 million or more than that in his next deal. So, in this case, it would be difficult for the Seattle Seahawks to give him that much money. But there’s one more reason for it.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, “The Seahawks (are) at with all the young guys they have to pay. They’ve actually got some pretty good young team talent there – Charles Cross left tackle, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, I think some would argue, is already their number one receiver. We saw that with results and numbers last year and then [Devon] Witherspoon on defense, like they’ve got a lot of guys that are coming up that they’re going to have to pay in the future,” who appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday.

According to Breer, these young players are in line to get their big contracts soon. Additionally, Breer said, “They’ve got a new offensive coordinator coming in, Klint Kubiak. (So) they’re going to recommit to the running game. So I think there are a lot of things here you look at. It’s like DK Metcalf wants that bite of the apple, and he’s asking kind of where do I fit into all of this and so I could certainly see a scenario where the Seahawks look at it. And say we’re going to have to pay all of these other guys, DK is a little older than all of them.” Undoubtedly, after six seasons with the team, DK Metcalf’s future in Seattle is up in the air.

If the reports are true, the Seahawks hired Kubiak partly because of his plan for the WR. But now, with their commitment to the run game and paying other receivers, it seems ditching Metcalf would be easier for the team. It’s also because the player missed the 1000-yard mark for the third time in his six seasons. But love him or not! Metcalf has proven his worth in the league.

In his first six years, DK Metcalf has recorded 438 catches for 6,324 receiving yards and 48 touchdowns. In fact, he was tenth in receptions (35) and third in the receiving yards (568) after week 7. But some injuries derailed him. And now, the Hawks might derail his career as they are fine with waiting for the right deal. But it wasn’t expected from the other teams of the league, who reportedly rejected him.

Are the NFL teams not interested in DK Metcalf?

In the first week of March, news broke that DK Metcalf was requesting a trade. Later, reports surfaced that Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks had also agreed to let him explore other options in the market. Brimming with confidence, Metcalf expected teams to line up for him. But instead—crickets! All we’ve heard is radio silence, with at least five teams reportedly not interested.

According to Dianna Russini, teams like the Panthers, Jaguars, Texans, Patriots, and Chargers that need a receiver are unwilling to pay Seattle’s price. So, what’s the price? As per reports, Mike Macdonald’s team wants both a first and a third-round pick in return for Metcalf.

The Panthers are eyeing a possible trade for Davante Adams. Interestingly, the Chargers are also looking for Adams to support their young WR Ladd McConkey. The Jaguars are trading WR Christian Kirk to the Texans for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Reports also suggest that the Pats are looking to field AJ Brown.

Guess what’s even funnier? The WR reportedly wants to play somewhere warm, yet not a single warm-weather team is biting. So, it would be safe to say at the moment that Metcalf is stuck!