Three DK Metcalf Trade Destinations

The Seattle Seahawks are going through a bit of a teardown, shipping off the last remnants of the Super Bowl core that kept the Seahawks in the championship picture for most of the last decade. Russell Wilson is in Denver. Bobby Wagner was unceremoniously cut and signed with a division rival. Drew Lock is now the top QB on the depth chart. For better or for worse, it's a new era in Seattle.

But they may not be done yet. The rumor mill is churning out a lot of noise around DK Metcalf's availability. The Seahawks are not going through a complete rebuild (at least that's what they're saying outwardly) so Metcalf isn't on the trade block per se. But Metcalf is in the final year of his contract and will be looking for big money next offseason, which Seattle may not be interested in handing over if the immediate future is not bright.

The Seahawks have been saying they intend to keep Metcalf. They said that a lot about Wilson until he got traded anyway. If Seattle really wants to try and nail a quick turnaround after trading their franchise quarterback, it makes complete sense to sell high on Metcalf now and replace his production with a few of the many talented wideouts in this year's draft.

Here are three teams who could get Metcalf for the right price.

New York Jets

The Jets pursued Tyreek Hill and failed. Even worse, they were beat out by their divisional rivals down in Miami. Their strong interest clearly indicated a desire to get Zach Wilson an elite target, a player who will walk into the building and instantly make the second-year signal-caller better. Metcalf, a walking mismatch on the perimeter who doesn't need to beat his man to be considered open, certainly qualifies.

Other factors working in the Jets' favor here: they've dealt with Seattle GM John Schneider before (Jamal Adams trade) and emerged happy on the other side, and New York has lots of draft picks to offer while the Seahawks would love to acquire some more. If the Jets were willing to go so far as to give back Seattle's first-round pick in this year's draft, a deal could be reached quickly. It'll take longer if not, but the Jets have the perfect combination of motivation and means to get it done.

Baltimore Ravens

Ravens fans have been banging the "Get Lamar Jackson more weapons" drum for the last two years and the organization has not really listened. Mark Andrews is the best security blanket in the NFL who also annually ranks among the league touchdown leaders and Marquise Brown is very good when he catches the ball. But neither are matchup-breakers. Neither can alter the geometry of the defense quite like Metcalf can.

Jackson and Metcalf would immediately become one of the league's most dangerous QB-WR combos and pretty easily the most athletic pairing in the NFL. The question for Baltimore is less about on-the-field fit and more about off-the-field implications. Jackson is entering the final year of his deal without a long-term extension, and talks on that front haven't been particularly fruitful to this point. Would trading for Metcalf and giving him a big-money extension encourage Jackson to stay? Would it upset him to see a new guy get paid before him? If the signs are generally more positive than negative, it's an easy call for the Ravens. But a lot to consider.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts do not have a ton of draft picks left in their coffers after the QB carousel they've played recently. But they have Matt Ryan now, who would probably like more talented targets to help his late-career renaissance to come to fruition. Michael Pittman Jr. is pretty good, but the depth chart gets real thin after him. Metcalf would be a great addition and probably couldn't ask for a better QB to play for than Ryan, who has spent a large part of his career trusting that his freak of nature wideout was capable of going up and getting it, no matter the situation.

The Colts also have a bunch of cap space that would make an extension very easy for Metcalf. If they can reach Seattle's compensation requests (or come close), they'll be in the running for Metcalf's services.