It says a lot about how much other NFL teams want D.K. Metcalf that the trade speculation is so intense. Yesterday, we learned that the Seahawks won’t even listen to offers for their star 24-year old wide receiver – cutting off any talks immediately. If you think that will stop the incessant trade rumors you’re likely in for a long offseason.
This morning, ESPN has a fresh round of potential trade scenarios – seven, in fact. We’ll wait for the cliffnotes on those because it would be absolutely bananas and nuts for Seattle to deal Metcalf no matter what they might get in return.
An athlete like Metcalf will always bring on intense trade talks when he’s entering the final year of his contract, though – so fans who are sick of reading about it should probably get comfortable. Until Seattle actually signs him to an extension the trade content mill isn’t going to stop.
So, what will it actually cost to keep him?
According to Spotrac, Metcalf’s market value is $24.2 million per season and they’re projecting he’ll sign a four-year deal, totaling $97,185,816.
That would fall well short of the current top earners at Metcalf’s position but would put him at No. 4 – for now. Tyreek Hill’s new deal with the Dolphins reset the receiver market at $30 million per year, followed by Davante Adams’ contract with the Raiders at $28 million a season and DeAndre Hopkins at a $27.25 million per-season average with the Cardinals.
Our best guess is that the $24.2 million projection is a little lower than what Metcalf will actually get when he signs.
We’ll get a better idea of how exactly much he will earn with each new receiver extension. Yeterday, Stefon Diggs signed a new deal with the Bills worth $104 million over four years. That puts him pretty close to the Spotrac projection for Metcalf but remember Diggs is four years older and has played 103 games in the NFL, more than double D.K.’s 49.
Other receivers to watch that will be closer to Metcalf’s price-range include Deebo Samuel of the 49ers and A.J. Brown of the Titans, both from the same 2019 draft class.
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