D.K. Metcalf Absent From Seahawks Minicamp

Jun. 12: In recent remarks to reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Carroll confirmed that “there have been conversations” between the team and Metcalf on a new contract (video link). However, he also classified the negotiations as “semi-quiet” at this time, adding that the next few weeks before the start of training camp will be crucial to this process.

Jun. 7: D.K. Metcalf is rehabbing from offseason foot surgery, but the fourth-year Seahawks receiver will continue to do so on his own. Metcalf is not at Seahawks minicamp, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Seahawks were scheduled to convene for their mandatory offseason sessions next week but are instead holding it this week.

Unlike skipping OTAs, this can be considered a holdout. Players can be fined more than $90K for missing all of minicamp, though teams can also excuse absences. This absence is not excused, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. While that money is not especially significant for a player on the cusp of a monster extension, Metcalf’s absence certainly is notable given his current situation.

The 24-year-old wideout was not linked to missing even OTAs this offseason, differing from a few of his receiver peers, and even showed up for some. A minicamp absence changes the equation a bit.

Metcalf has said he wants to stay in Seattle and expects toPete Carroll expects a resolution, though the 13th-year Seahawks HC said a deal will take some time. Contract talks have taken place, according to Rapoport, who adds Metcalf is rehabbing his injury in Los Angeles. Metcalf is set to make $3.99MM in base salary this season. Like the other lot of extension-seeking wideouts from the 2019 draft, Metcalf is due for free agency in 2023, with fifth-year options only present in first-rounders’ deals.

The Seahawks have a big decision to make with Metcalf, who has become an upper-echelon receiver despite pre-draft doubts that dropped him to No. 64 overall. Seattle may lean harder toward a run-oriented offense post-Russell Wilson, and although moving the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback’s salary off the books (beyond a considerable 2022 dead-money hit) opens some space for the Seahawks to work salary-wise, the new wide receiver market could push Metcalf’s asking price beyond $25MM per year. Former Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown received a $25MM-AAV deal from the Eagles but needed a trade to get there. GM John Schneider mentioned the challenges of the new receiver market, and those comments came before the Brown extension.

Metcalf generated trade calls this offseason and was linked to the Jets, who were linked to many high-end wideouts before opting to draft Garrett Wilson 10th overall. Even as interest emerged, Metcalf was linked to a Seahawks extension. The Seahawks have done major extensions during camp, re-upping the likes of Wilson (2015), Bobby Wagner (2015, 2019) and Jamal Adams (2021) in that window. Metcalf could be next, but if he misses all of minicamp, trade rumblings could resurface.

Seattle has already jettisoned Wilson and Bobby Wagner this offseason. Metcalf represents a cornerstone-type player. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020, a 1,303-yard season, and played hurt last year. Metcalf’s numbers suffered due to the injuries sustained by he and Wilson; he finished with just 967 yards in 17 games. Brown is also a one-time Pro Bowler. Although Brown has moved past the extension-seeking glut in which his peers reside, Metcalf still joins a few others — Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson — as high-profile receivers entering contract years. How many will be extended profiles as one of the offseason’s top remaining storylines.

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