The Seahawks were supposed to be in for a rebuild for the long haul.
Once they traded away Russell Wilson — the inarguable best quarterback in franchise history — Seattle was supposed to set its sights on reloading to be good again … eventually. You don’t simply pick up the pieces and make a smooth move forward after trading a nine-time Pro Bowler.
About that: A rebuild might not be Pete Carroll’s plan, after all!
On Thursday night, despite apparent (nonexistent?) trade rumors from the offseason, the Seahawks gave D.K. Metcalf a lucrative contract extension. Scratch that. I’m underselling it. (Ahem) Seattle made the 24-year-old Metcalf one of the richest wide receivers in NFL history.
Seahawks’ WR DK Metcalf is signing a three-year, $72 million extension that includes $58.2 million guaranteed, per source. Deal includes $30 million signing bonus, the highest ever for a WR. Metcalf will be a free agent again at 27 years old.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2022
Holy heck. That’s a lot of money to buy candy.
For a frame of reference, in addition to his highest-ever WR signing bonus, Metcalf is now comfortably among the highest compensated compared to his peers. According to Over The Cap, Metcalf’s $58.2 million guaranteed is the seventh-highest among all active receivers. His annual average of $24 million is the sixth-highest, tied with Stefon Diggs.
But that glosses over a vital caveat: Because of his shorter three-year term, the Seahawks essentially guaranteed more than 80 percent of Metcalf’s new deal. That is second only to Cooper Kupp (93 percent), who, you know, is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and first triple crown winner in years.
Suffice to say, given the shorter overall length of Metcalf’s extension through 2025, the Seahawks not only think the former Second-Team All-Pro will make their lofty investment seem wise, but they almost definitely plan to win with him as a featured player. And soon!
This raises a question about the elephant in the room: Who is throwing the ball to Metcalf on this beautiful blue and green marble we call “Earth”?
Let’s review the Seahawks’ current depth chart of quarterbacks:
- Drew Lock
- Geno Smith
- Jacob Eason
By my count, that’s one overhyped former second-round pick who is almost certainly more of a backup (Lock), another overhyped former second-round pick who has actually been a career backup (Smith), and, at this moment in time, a glorified scout-team quarterback (Eason). So, yeah. Seattle’s not exactly picking the sharpest shears in the shed here.
Now I understand Metcalf is a very talented playmaker who can make fireworks happen with the ball in his hands. There’s no denying that. But unless Carroll and GM John Schneider are going to conjure a magical trade for a star quarterback before the 2022 season starts: I don’t see how wise it was to make such an investment in a player extremely reliant on his quarterback play.
DK Metcalf beats Jalen Ramsey for a touchdown 😤 pic.twitter.com/1oIXBesa3J
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 8, 2021
The earliest the Seahawks can even fathom getting a worthwhile passer is in next year’s draft. Which, they’ll probably get someone like C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young at this rate because it’s hard to envision a depleted roster winning more than a handful of games this fall. (Seriously: Name one Seahawks player sans Metcalf and his partner Tyler Lockett off the top of your head right now. That’s my challenge to you).
But, remember, you still have to get the worthwhile quarterback, which is easier said than done — Metcalf’s extension will likely line up with a quarterback’s rookie year. That would be 2023, where said rookie is bound to go through growing pains. The second year of his extension, in 2024, would ideally (hopefully?) see a second-year quarterback blossom while throwing to his 6-foot-4, 229-pound athletic freak of a target.
Once the final year of his deal comes around the bend, in 2025, Metcalf and Insert Quarterback are one of the NFL’s top duos. Or Metcalf, at 27, is starting to look to free agency in the spring of 2026 because he has no one reliable to throw the ball to him. And that’s not even accounting for the Seahawks constructing an entire roster worthy of contention simultaneously — a massive undertaking in itself.
Given the NFL’s broader history of a boom or bust nature in developing successful quarterbacks, which scenario feels more likely?
By giving Metcalf one of the biggest receiver deals in NFL history, the Seahawks are betting they will find a future star quarterback to pair with him in next April’s draft. It’s a risky proposition, which precedent says won’t work out well. Because when it comes to great quarterbacks and receivers: The chicken never comes before the egg.
