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DK Metcalf is still a member of the Seattle Seahawks, at least for now. However, he’s requested a trade. He’s in the final year of his contract and wants to get paid. Seattle has allowed Metcalf and his representatives to find a trade partner.
Part of that process involves Metcalf and the new team agreeing to a new deal. This might be a fact-finding exercise for Seattle to determine the monetary value the rest of the league puts on Metcalf to help them negotiate contracts. However, what are his best landing spots for fantasy football if he is traded?
This article identified four teams as the best landing spots for Metcalf’s fantasy value if he were to be traded while also trying to focus on the realistic landing spots. If you want to take advantage of our great premium tools, please use the promo code "BOOM" to receive a 10% discount.
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Los Angeles Chargers
The Offer: 2025 Second-Round Pick (No. 55) and 2025 Fourth-Round Pick (No. 124)
Reports indicate Seattle is asking for a first and third-round pick in exchange for DK Metcalf. That’s never going to happen. He’s going to be 28 years old. He needs a big new extension, and while he’s a good, bordering on excellent receiver, he’s not and has never been elite. If Seattle leaked that compensation, they know they aren’t getting that but are starting high.
Rap: DK Metcalf trade market includes Chargers, Texans, and Patriots.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) March 6, 2025
They know they’ll have to settle for a second-round pick and some change. Here, the Chargers offer their second and fourth-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s not exactly what they’re looking for, but it’s not nothing, either. For Seattle, they get two draft selections back and send Metcalf to the AFC.
The Chargers have minimal target competition for Metcalf outside rookie sensation Ladd McConkey. However, their positions and skill sets do not overlap at all. They complement each other perfectly. Metcalf is the true “X” receiver that the Chargers lack. He’s a pure boundary receiver who can beat press and man coverage and threaten defenses downfield.
McConkey is a slot assassin. He’s surgical in the middle of the field and can work the short and intermediate areas of the field exceptionally well. These two receivers would go together like the Jets and losing. It’s beautiful. Justin Herbert’s rocket arm could unleash the best version of Metcalf, which we haven’t seen since he had prime Russell Wilson. That was almost five years ago now. The Chargers’ play-action offense could set Metcalf up for a monster season.
The Chargers have a significant need at receiver. McConkey is great, and Quentin Johnston is a fine role player, but they need more weapons. After cutting Joey Bosa, the Chargers have the cap space to extend Metcalf. In Los Angeles, Metcalf would shoot up draft boards. He’d likely be ranked in the top 24, and he’d have the potential to finish in the top 15. With Herbert, Metcalf would have ample touchdown potential and the possibility for high-yardage marks as they’re a team who likes to chances down the field.
Green Bay Packers
The Offer: Sean Rhyan, Romeo Doubs, and 2025 Second Round Pick (No. 54)
Again, no first-round pick for Seattle. That ain’t happening. Rhyan is a 24-year-old guard who played well last year. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, and while Green Bay is unlikely to extend him, Seattle might. They have one of the worst interior offensive lines in the entire NFL. The offensive line as a whole is below average.
Getting a quality starting guard they can resign, Doubs who can help replace Metcalf in the short term, and a second-round pick would have to be regarded as a win for Seattle. For Green Bay, Brian Gutekunst’s receiver experiment has failed miserably. It’s time to give Jordan Love a No. 1 receiver. They can handle the loss of Rhyan after drafting Jordan Morgan in the first round last year.
Metcalf may not be a No. 1 receiver like Justin Jefferson or CeeDee Lamb, but that doesn’t mean he can’t operate as a team’s No. 1 receiver. He’s been that for Seattle for years. Green Bay has quality pass-catchers behind him in Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, and Dontayvion Wicks (if he learns how to catch).
Been working the phones this morning and this seems like the best package the #Seahawks could get from Packers as things stand.
Will have a few other proposals assembled based on what I've heard and where the current market stands coming soon on @EmeraldSpectrum. pic.twitter.com/UdKGpyFmmJ
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) March 6, 2025
This trade would shift all of the Packers’ pass-catchers down a notch into a role their skill set more closely aligns with, which would, in the end, help everyone perform better. The Packers lack a true “X” receiver who can consistently beat man-to-man coverage.
Metcalf would garner most of the defensive attention, something he’s accustomed to, but that would allow Reed and Kraft plenty of room to operate underneath. If defenses focus on them, Metcalf could win over the top. Love and Matt LaFleur would be the best quarterback/head coach combination Metcalf has had since Wilson was in his prime. In Green Bay, Metcalf could turn back the clock and offer fantasy managers top-20 upside.
Love’s touchdown rate has been near the top of the league in both years as a starter. With his size, Metcalf could quickly become Love’s preferred option near the end zone. Green Bay also had one of the best rushing attacks last season, headlined by Josh Jacobs. If teams prioritize Jacobs, Love and Metcalf should be able to hook up downfield regularly.
Green Bay has a lot of mouths, which might turn some fantasy managers off, but how many of those mouths deserve being fed? It’s just Kraft, a tight end, and Reed. Neither has garnered a significant target share or a lot of volume in their careers thus far.
Metcalf would be the team’s undisputed No. 1 receiver, and he’d have 10+ touchdown potential in one of the best offenses in the NFL. Metcalf could also flirt with a top-15 finish in Green Bay if the touchdowns break the right way, which they very well could.
New England Patriots
The Offer: 2025 Second Round Pick (No. 38), 2025 Fourth Round Pick (No. 105), and 2025 Seventh Round Pick (No. 219)
The Patriots are the most desperate, but their first-round pick is (obviously) off the table. They desperately need to give Drake Maye a quality pass-catcher to depend on going into his second season in the league. Right now, New England’s stable of receivers and tight ends is by far the worst in the league. It’s laughably pathetic. Metcalf would help immensely. That’s why they’re willing to pay more than anyone else.
This is about as close as Seattle will get to that first-round pick they covet. Between the fourth and the seventh, it’s the closest they’ll get to that third-rounder, too. For fantasy, New England has potential, but there are also plenty of risks.
Maye showed potential as a rookie. He’s got a cannon for an arm, and he’s fearless. Josh McDaniels has shown he’s an excellent offensive coordinator. There’s reason to believe this offense will improve significantly in 2025, especially if they landed Metcalf, but there’s no guarantee. That’s the risk.
The upside is that considering the other pass-catchers on the roster, Metcalf could flirt with 140+ targets. If Maye does take a step forward and McDaniels improves the offense to the point where it’s just below average instead of bad, Metcalf could be very valuable. Volume is volume.
It’s hard to believe they’ll have a good offense in 2025. There are too many holes, but if Maye is as good as New England hopes, the turnaround could happen quickly. The target volume potential in New England is far higher than in the three previous destinations mentioned, but there’s also more risk here.
For fantasy football, however, volume is king, and that’s the appeal to New England. He’s always had a competent sidekick next to him, whether that was Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or both. It would be Metcalf, Metcalf, and more Metcalf in New England. And if Maye is good, Metcalf could be outstanding for fantasy managers.
Carolina Panthers
The Offer: 2025 Second Round Pick (No. 57) and 2025 Third Round Pick (No. 74)
Like the Patriots, the Panthers are a bit more desperate than the other teams. Bryce Young showed signs of life in the second half of last season after his early season benching. Still, if the team wants him to take another step, he needs more help.
Last year, he was throwing to Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and Adam Thielen. That just isn’t going to cut it, and it’s not far to ask Young to perform like a true franchise quarterback with those weapons. He needs more. Metcalf fits the bill. Seattle doesn’t get the first-rounder they asked for, but they do get a second and third. This is a strong offer for Metcalf, giving Seattle the opportunity to add two players in the top 100. That’s something no other offer can boast.
In Carolina, with head coach Dave Canales, we’d likely see Metcalf fill the Mike Evans role in his offense. Legette is best suited in the slot or as a flanker. The same can be said for Coker, and at this point in his career, Thielen is nothing more than a slot receiver.
Metcalf would give Canales, Young, and the Carolina offense an actual “X” receiver. He’s a boundary receiver who would give Young a big and easy weapon to target. Carolina’s offense has a lot of strong role players, but they’re missing that piece that puts it all together.
Chuba Hubbard and the offensive line are strong. Legette, Coker, Thielen, and Ja'Tavion Sanders are solid enough role players in the passing game. They need that No. 1 receiver to make it all work, and Metcalf could be that. In Carolina, he’d be the focal point of their passing attack. He’d be guaranteed to have 120-135 targets. If Young continues to play like he did late in the season last year, or even better, builds upon that, Metcalf could find himself in a surprisingly effective offense.
Metcalf would have easy WR2 upside in Carolina. There’s plenty of target potential to keep him afloat, even if Young doesn’t take that next step. If he does, though, Metcalf could be a top-20 receiver in Carolina.
Honorable Mentions
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
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