The LA Chargers need to give Justin Herbert more wide receiver help this offseason. Ladd McConkey alone is not enough for the Chargers to compete with the top contenders in the league. Los Angeles needs at least one more dynamic pass-catching weapon.
There are quite a few options the Chargers can explore this offseason, one of which is DK Metcalf. The Seattle Seahawks are in a tricky salary-cap extension and Metcalf is due for an extension this offseason. Those two intersecting avenues lead Metcalf straight to the trade block.
Metcalf would fit nicely alongside Ladd McConkey as a top-tier boundary receiver for Justin Herbert. With ties to Chargers' WRs coach Sanjay Lal and the means to sign him to an extension, the Bolts appear to be the perfect team on paper for Metcalf.
There is just one problem. Other teams need wideout help and may be more desperate to acquire it. The Green Bay Packers are one of those teams and have been in contact with the Seahawks to work out a trade. Unfortunately for the Chargers, competition on the trade market makes Metcalf an unrealistic target.
Based on what I've heard, for #Seahawks to move DK Metcalf, trade would have to be structured to receive No. 23 and either Romeo Doubs or Dontaryion Wicks in exchange for receiver and one of their early day three selections.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) February 28, 2025
Anything less than that, it's not happening.
Packers drive DK Metcalf trade price too high for the LA Chargers
Update: Another NFL insider face-off is happening as Packers' beat reporter Matt Schneidman claims there has been no contact between the two teams.
If the Chargers had the benefit of waiting for the 2025 NFL Draft to trade the 22nd pick for Metcalf then it would be an easier pill to swallow. Theoretically, the Chargers could replicate the A.J. Brown trade, trading the pick while they are on the clock for a star wideout.
By waiting, the Chargers would only be doing this if the draft board doesn't shake out in a favorable way. Trading the pick for Metcalf would be a better use of the pick than reaching for someone at No. 22.
The Chargers won't have this luxury with the Packers already making an aggressive play for Metcalf. There is no reason for the Seahawks to wait to make this deal, especially if they are getting an offer the Chargers won't outbid, anyway.
Per Seahawks reporter Corbin Smith, the Packers are open to the idea of trading the No. 23 pick in the draft as the team believes it can receive similar compensation back in a Jaire Alexander trade. The Chargers do not have that same luxury.
As great as Metcalf would be on the Chargers, there are simply too many options this offseason to commit this much draft capital this early on in the offseason.
Plus, even if the Chargers were willing to float the No. 22 pick in trade talks, the team does not have a young receiver to offer in return who is as valuable as anyone the Packers can offer. Quentin Johnston does not move the needle compared to Romeo Doubs, sorry to say.