Seattle Seahawks
Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The 2025 Seattle Seahawks will look a lot different than the version first-year head coach Mike Macdonald coached in 2024.
Not only will the Seahawks have a new starting quarterback after trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and replacing him with free agent signee Sam Darnold, they’ve also overhauled the receiving corps.
Out are former Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and Davante Adams is in, though more additions are surely on the way. Yet, of the Seahawks’ trio of departed Pro Bowlers, one of them has reportedly been trying to get traded to a different team for several years now.
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DK Metcalf tried ditching Seattle Seahawks many times before Pittsburgh Steelers trade
Seattle Seahawks
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Several teams passed on selecting DK Metcalf in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound receiver somehow slipped to the 64th pick before the Seattle Seahawks ended his wait by making Metcalf a second-round pick.
Metcalf has since tallied 900-yard campaigns or better in all six of his seasons while becoming a two-time Pro Bowl receiver in the process. Yet, the Seahawks suddenly traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick back in March, before signing him to a four-year, $132 million contract.
What wasn’t so sudden, was Seattle’s knowledge that Metcalf wanted out of town. In fact, it’s something he’s privately been trying to achieve for several years.
According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Metcalf wasn’t the first time he requested a trade from the Seahawks, it’s just the first time they granted his wish.
“The trade request that led the Seahawks to send DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh last month wasn’t the first time he asked out of Seattle. According to team sources, the star receiver had requested trades multiple times in recent offseasons. That revelation sheds light on Seattle’s decision to deal Metcalf to the Steelers for the No. 52 selection and a swap of late-round picks. The Seahawks didn’t plan on trading him at the start of the offseason, but they had to weigh Metcalf’s prolonged unhappiness in addition to the inherent risk of signing a player to a massive third contract.”
ESPN on DK Metcalf’s trade requests
Noting his unhappiness, perhaps it’s no coincidence that Metcalf agreed to a contract extension upon getting traded to the Steelers. While he was always productive, maybe we’ll see an even more motivated version of the two-time Pro Bowl receiver now.
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