D.K. Metcalf wants to engineer a trade to get him out of Seattle. The Buffalo Bills are on the hunt for an X-receiver who matches up with quarterback Josh Allen's elite arm talent. It makes sense that the Seahawks and Bills would talk about a trade for the seemingly disgruntled wide receiver.
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of a Metcalf trade at the moment is the Seahawks' exorbitant trade demands. They are currently asking for a first-round pick plus an additional third-round draft choice in exchange for their deep threat.
That's complicated by the likelihood that Metcalf will be looking for a lucrative new contract from the team that acquires him. In this scenario, the Bills would be required to part with two premium draft picks and hand out a contract with an average annual value of $30 million to bring Metcalf to Buffalo.
Metcalf is good, but he's not consistent enough to demand that kind of return in a trade. If his stay with Seattle is untenable, the front office will need to get more realistic about what they're willing to accept in a trade. The chances of Metcalf lowering his contract demands are exceedingly low. Any movement on this will have to come from Seattle's front office.
Seahawks seeking a 1st and 3rd round pick for D.J. Metcalf and #Raiders said to be a team monitoring… https://t.co/2keHZaGwtT
— Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) March 6, 2025
That might be a tough pill for GM John Schneider and his front office team to swallow. They have already parted ways with long-tenured wide receiver Tyler Lockett to open up salary cap space this offseason. Losing Metcalf too would cause them to institute a total rebuild of their receiver room.
That's clearly why they are setting their sights so high in the trade market. The Seahawks will need more draft capital to rebuild their wide receiver group. None of that means a team like the Bills are obligated to meet their astronimical asking price.
Instead, look for the Bills to offer more quantity than quality in a potential Metcalf trade. The idea that Seattle wants a first-rounder in this deal is fantasy. The best they can hope for is a guaranteed third-round pick from Buffalo.
The higher variance relates to the second pick that will be required to complete the transaction. The Seahawks will push Buffalo for another pick in this year's draft that they can realize immediately. Conversely, the Bills will prefer to push their obligation out for at least another year.
Buffalo might offer a sixth-round pick in this year's draft but the Seahawks will prefer a better pick even if they're required to wait a year to realize its value. A fourth-rounder in 2026 won't wow Seattle's fan base but it gives them just enough value to part with Metcalf and move on with their offseason.