while the Seattle Seahawks are rebuilding under new head coach Mike Macdonald, their trio of starting wide receivers remain intact. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf, quarterback Geno Smith is stacked with options.
However, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to poach Metcalf, KOA Radio’s Benjamin Allbright reported. Pittsburgh called “around to half a dozen teams” to land a No. 1 receiver. “And they’ve been rejected by two teams,” Allbright posted on April 29.
“They called about [San Francisco 49ers‘ Brandon] Aiyuk and [Denver Broncos’ Courtland] Sutton and have been rebuffed, at least with opening talks. Called about DK, I don’t believe a trade would get done there until after June first (if one got done at all).”
Aiyuk and Sutton are considered trade candidates due to their respective team’s salary cap constraints. However, Metcalf hasn’t voiced concern over his three-year, $72 million deal, which keeps him in Seattle through the 2025 NFL season.
If the Seahawks agreed to trade Metcalf, which would be a huge shock, the post-June 1 date is important. Seattle clears $17 million in 2024 cap space if Metcalf is traded after June 1, and $22 million in 2025. The Seahawks would eat $15 million in dead money over those two years. If they trade Metcalf before June 1, that number jumps to $22.5 million.
With Seattle in rebuild mode, opening up a massive chunk of cap space is an attractive prospect. And maybe Metcalf would be open to a trade if it meant reuniting with quarterback Russell Wilson. However, Steelers general manager Omar Khan denied any trade was currently in the works while appearing on the “The Pat McAfee Show” on April 30.
