Could Packers Trade for Seahawks Receiver DK Metcalf?

The Green Bay Packers never use a first-round pick to draft a receiver. Could general manager Brian Gutekunst trade a first-round pick to acquire a proven receiver, such as Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf?

It was an option raised by ESPN analyst Ben Solak after Green Bay’s young receiver corps failed to take a step forward in their second season alongside Jordan Love.

“Expect them to be in the Tee Higgins hunt,” Solak wrote, “but if getting him gets too expensive for them, they could package someone like Romeo Doubs – who will be in the final year of his rookie deal in 2025 – to grab a frustrated star from another team. Garrett Wilson? DK Metcalf? I'd bet on the latter.”

Metcalf, a second-round pick in 2019, has been a stud for the Seahawks. Metcalf, who turned 27 one day before the Packers’ victory at Seattle in December, caught 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. He finished with at least 900 receiving yards in all six seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2023 and 2024.

Metcalf will be entering his final season under contract and has a base salary of $18 million in 2025. The Seahawks, with major cap problems, will be looking to slash salary.

Presumably before a trade is finalized, the Packers and Metcalf’s agent, Joseph Keels, would agree to a contract extension so this wouldn’t be just a one-year rental.

Including Metcalf, there are 23 receivers making at least $20 million per season. He’d be much closer to $30 million per season - a threshold hit by six receivers - to $20 million.

When the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Raiders in 2022, they received first- and second-round draft picks. Adams was better than Metcalf but also two years older. When the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, they received five draft picks – one in the first, second and sixth rounds and two in the fourth.

It’s those two paragraphs – the money and the finances – that make blockbuster trades so rare in the NFL, in general, and nonexistent in Green Bay.

“You’d better be right, you know?” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the end of the season. “When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you’re trading a young, really good contract for a player who’s proven but is probably expensive. So, you’re giving up a pick and salary-cap space. So, I think you’ve got to weigh that.”

The Packers haven’t made a significant trade for a player since acquiring Brett Favre from the Falcons. Under Gutekunst, the Packers traded Adams in 2022, Rasul Douglas in 2023 and Preston Smith in 2024.

That doesn’t mean Gutekunst wouldn’t make a bold move. With a change at the top of the organization, he may feel emboldened to do so.

Unlike this time a year ago, there are significant questions at receiver. Christian Watson will miss the first half of the season with a torn ACL and Doubs suffered a pair of concussions during the second half of the season. They will be entering their final season under contract.

Metcalf in 2024 topped 100 receiving yards in Weeks 2, 3 and 4 of but not again. The Packers held him to a season-low 28 yards on three catches in Week 15.

Metcalf would be a great fit in Green Bay. Before the game against the Packers, Seattle was on a five-game winning streak. During that stretch, he had one game of more than four catches, one game of more than 70 yards and one game with a touchdown.

With defenses scheming to limit his production, Metcalf took it in stride.

“I just look at it as a sign of respect that I've gained from other defensive coordinators and continue to do my job with it as blocking or being a decoy,” he told reporters that week. “The ball is going to find me one play or another but, if it doesn't, at least we get the dub and that's all that matters in this league is winning and to continue to win.

“And if you continue to win, you stay relevant. So no, I'm just honing on just continuing to do my job. If the stats don't say so, then so be it. At least we get to win.”

At 6-foot-4 and a chiseled 235 pounds, Metcalf takes prides in impacting the game in ways other than catching the football. So, he is used to being a No. 1 receiver but not necessarily a high-volume receiver with five games of 10-plus targets the last two years.

“Trying to block my ass off and trying to get pancakes on defensive backs,” he said when asked what he prioritizes when not getting the ball.

Metcalf’s father, Terrence, started 25 games on the offensive line in seven seasons with the Chicago Bears. He enjoys the physical part of his game.

“Man, just the competitor, the relentless competitor,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said before the Green Bay game. “Just love seeing him out there, man. Feel good when he’s out there doing his thing.

“I know that if teams want to play like high-low, double on him, then it’s a little bit tougher to get him the ball. So, we’ve got to keep finding creative ways to make sure he comes alive. But, when that doesn’t happen, then I think we’ll definitely feel the full DK experience.” 

Metcalf is double trouble. With elite size and speed, he caught 16-of-32 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield with five touchdowns in 2024, according to PFF. All of Green Bay’s receivers combined last year had five touchdowns on deep passes. Plus, he has broken 60 tackles in six seasons.

Metcalf would be a big upgrade for an offense that never really got rolling in 2024. It would be expensive, but Metcalf is in his prime and seemingly would be a good fit for Green Bay’s culture.

“I think we’re looking for these guys that we have currently to take a step into that role where they are more consistent on the down-to-down basis,” Gutekunst said of having a No. 1 receiver.

“Certainly, if there’s somebody outside of our building, whether it’s the draft, free agency, that makes some sense for us, we’ll certainly look to do that, but we’re also looking for these guys to continue to grow and, hopefully, grow into that space.”