DK Metcalf available in trade for certain price?

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently insisted that DK Metcalf is not going to be traded, but rumors about the star wide receiver continue to swirl.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Sunday that Metcalf’s name has been “buzzing in league circles.” While the Seahawks have told Metcalf he won’t be moved, rival teams are not convinced.

“I’m told that Metcalf has gotten indications, informally from the team, that he’s not going to be traded. Seattle has said publicly they have no intention to trade him,” Fowler said, via Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway. “But the execs I talk to keep bringing him up that maybe they would either be willing to move on at the right price or that Metcalf would welcome a change. So, something is going on here; it’s just hard to figure out what. But he’s got one year left on his rookie deal. He would need a new contract as part of a trade. That’s the tricky part.”

The Seahawks are in a bit of an unusual spot. They just traded their franchise quarterback when they sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Some felt that signaled the start of a rebuild, but their 70-year-old head coach almost certainly wants no part of that. If Seattle trades Metcalf next, that likely means they are throwing in the towel on 2022. Carroll doesn’t want that.

Then again, the Seahawks may not want to pay Metcalf top dollar when his contract expires after next season. We know of at least one team that appears willing to give up a lot for Metcalf in a trade. Seattle would likely need an offer they can’t refuse, but that should not be ruled out in what has already been a wild NFL offseason.

Photo: Nov 8, 2020; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) walks off the field following the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports