DK Metcalf will likely play for a new team in 2025 after requesting a trade from the Seattle Seahawks. With previous trade interest in the Seattle wideout, the LA Chargers have emerged as one of the favorites to pull off a blockbuster trade.
The initial reported asking price for Metcalf gave many pause and took some air out of the Chargers' balloon. However, it seems unlikely the Seahawks will get the gaudy trade package they are looking for, which keeps the Chargers in the hunt for the two-time Pro Bowler.
It's no secret that the Chargers are a perfect fit for Metcalf on paper and the star wideout likely knows it as well. In fact, Metcalf and his camp are playing the media game to perfection and have sent a pretty obvious message to the Chargers through NFL insider Dianna Russini.
What's the latest @DMRussini is hearing on DK Metcalf?
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) March 6, 2025
"There's a lot of teams interested, but after I put that (1st and a 3rd report) out, I started to get texts from those teams like, ‘Yeah, right. WAY too much.’…I don't think they land on that. I just think that for right… pic.twitter.com/Hk1mfPBA3j
DK Metcalf and his camp make it clear he prefers the Chargers
These reports do not emerge from the ether. Russini's information about what Metcalf wants in his new team is coming directly from the source, which is why this can be interpreted as such an obvious message to the Chargers.
There are three things on Metcalf's checklist that he wants with a new team: to get paid, to have a more stabile quarterback situation, and to play in warm weather. The Chargers firmly check all three boxes, which do a good job of taking certain teams out of the hunt.
The New England Patriots have ample cap space, a need at wide receiver, and good draft capital to trade. Heck, the Patriots even have a franchise quarterback who provides stability! However, New England is the opposite of warm, and with the Pats not being a contender yet, Metcalf may pause at that destination.
Warm weather is probably not a deal breaker, but it is not a coincidence that Metcalf's camp wanted to push that narrative. By doing so, there is more pressure on a team like the Chargers to get a deal done knowing that teams with bad weather, like the Green Bay Packers, are also in on Metcalf.
There isn't another team in the league that checks all three boxes in the way the Chargers do. The LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers also play in California but are not in a position to give Metcalf an extension this offseason.
The three Florida teams also play in good weather but no team checks all three boxes. The Dolphins likely can't do an extension and have question marks at quarterback. The Jaguars need to prove they aren't a dumpster fire before anyone believes it and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are more focused on Chris Godwin than a Metcalf trade.
The weather is great in Glendale, Arizona during football season and the Cardinals have the cap space to make it work. However, Kyler Murray doesn't represent the most "stable" quarterback situation, and the Seahawks wouldn't want to help a division rival.
The Seahawks don't have to honor Metcalf's request and trade him somewhere he prefers. However, by making it clear he wants everything the Chargers have, there may be more pressure on the Bolts' front office to get a trade done.