ESPN reporter: Trade price for Seahawks WR DK Metcalf is at least 2 first-round picks

On Thursday, ESPN’s beat reporters published an exercise where they attempted to make trade packages to get Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who is up for a new contract, in return. Since Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and given a $28 million per year deal, the Kansas City Chiefs have sent Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins (who paid him a new contract worth $30 million per) and the Buffalo Bills have signed Stefon Diggs to a contract worth $26 million per year. This begs the question: Will the Seahawks, who reportedly drew the line in the sand when discussing contract details with then quarterback Russell Wilson, pony up the money for Metcalf?

This is where the exercise begins. Beat writers for the following teams were asked to make trade packages for a potential Metcalf move: the Cleveland Browns, Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. The Packers’ offer, by Rob Demovsky, was a first- and fourth-round pick (#28 and #132 overall.)

According to Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson, the best offer proposed was by the New York Jets, whose beat writer offered the 10th and 69th overall picks in the upcoming draft for the chance to pay the receiver a top-of-the-market contract. As Henderson noted, those selections are roughly equal to two mid-first-round selections, important to remember with the Packers picking at 22nd and 28th overall at the end of this month.

Henderson turned down all seven of the offers and stated, “Based on my reporting, I’d guess that they would view something in the neighborhood of two firsts as the minimum for Metcalf. The Seahawks don’t have to trade him and can drive a hard bargain.”

It’s hard to imagine that the Packers would be willing to trade more than their two first-round picks for a chance to pay Metcalf, even if he is just a 24-year-old. It’s one thing to be willing to pay Adams that type of money, considering his history with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but it’s a whole other issue to get less in return for Adams than what you would have to trade for Metcalf just to pay them similarly.

If Henderson’s estimation of how the Seahawks value Metcalf is right, they’ll likely pay him sometime this summer or franchise tag him next winter. It just doesn’t seem that a trade is a realistic option, as of now.