Last week, Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver DK Metcalf requested a trade. Just a few days ago, Seattle was angling to get a king's ransom return package for Metcalf. The Athletic's Dianna Russini previously reported that the Seahawks wanted a first and third-round pick in any potential trade.
At that price, LA Chargers fans were not sold on the idea of trading for Metcalf.
On Sunday morning however, the demand on Seattle's side started to shift. Russini's updated report now has Seattle wanting just one second-round selection in return for Metcalf.
Seahawks' new asking price for DK Metcalf opens the door for the Chargers
That package is obviously getting closer to what Metcalf's actual value is considering the team that does trade with Seattle will have to extend their newly acquired receiver. Metcalf reportedly wants a $30+ million average annual value extension in addition to playing in a "warm weather climate" city.
One could obviously take the warm-weather climate bit to possibly be referring to Chargers.
The trade compensation for Metcalf being a second-rounder (or less) is much more likely to have the Chargers at the negotiating table than Seattle's initial mandate of two top-100 picks. The Chargers would still have nine draft picks with a lot of depth on day three if they did give Seattle pick 54.
The Chargers are armed with cap space in excess of $93 million that could be used to sign Metcalf to an extension upon completion of a trade.
Assuming a potential extension would likely have a lower year one cap hit, GM Joe Hortiz could probably still have around $65-70 million in spendable cap space for 2025 after acquiring the Seattle receiver.
Whether it ends up being the Chargers or not, Seattle budging on their initial hardline terms for a Metcalf trade this early indicates that they're trying to get a deal done soon.
The Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Raiders and are rumored to be pursuing Minnesota free agent Sam Darnold. If the price continues to drop, the Chargers could part with draft capital sooner rather than later.
As the week continues, we'll see where the Metcalf sweepstakes ends up as Seattle seems to be wanting to move off of their star receiver quicker than expected.