DK Metcalf trade rumors: NFL insider explains how asking price for $72,000,000 WR could be low

Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf has a year left on the three-year, $72 million extension he signed with the franchise in the 2022 offseason. The wide receiver is expecting a new deal before the start of the 2025 season but the Seahawks are reportedly apprehensive about handing him a massive contract.

The 27-year-old, who has spent his entire career in Seattle, has been a cornerstone of the team's offense since his rookie year. However, James Palmer believes the Seahawks could view his lackluster 2024 campaign as the beginning of a decline and could part ways with him.

On the Infinity Sports Network podcast, host Zach Gleb asked the NFL insider whether Metcalf could be on the move and whether he'd cost a first-round pick. Palmer claimed that Seattle would demand less than a top-32 pick for the wide receiver and explained that Metcalf's playstyle is the reason why the asking price for him will be that low:

"DK is still a physical specimen, and still is such a mismatch because of his size, but he's not an elite route run, and he's not a guy that can run a million different routes in the route tree.

"And so some people in the league believe as age comes along, you don't stay in the league very long, like that. That's happened to players that are just bigger-bodied advantage type of guys, and then when push comes to shove down the road, they didn't learn how to play it another way."

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DK Metcalf stats: WR's underwhelming 2024 campaign

The 2024 season was arguably the weakest of DK Metcalf's career. The wide receiver caught only 66 passes on 108 targets for 992 yards, the third-lowest mark of his career. He also caught a career-low five touchdown passes.

He also struggled with an MCL injury and started only 12 of the 15 games he played in. It wasn't exactly a season that warrants a massive contract extension.

Metcalf could bounce back and have a stellar year in 2025. However, the Seahawks likely won't bank on it and hand him a new deal and they wouldn't risk him leaving for nothing as a free agent in 2026.

Seattle will bide its time and likely wait until draft day to gauge what it can fetch for the wide receiver. However, if they receive a suitable offer,his six-year stint in Seattle could end.