The fun part for fans of nearly every NFL team at the NFL Combine is getting to hear what the coach and general manager have to say about the state of the team. These press conferences take place before the combine truly gets underway, and one gets a read of what the national media thinks of the teams. In the case of the Seattle Seahawks, reporters want to know about DK Metcalf and Geno Smith.
As far as Smith goes, Schneider appeared to make it clear that Seattle is sticking with the quarterback. The GM said the team is meeting with Smith's agents this week in hopes of ironing out a contract extension. If the money is right for both sides, Smith could be QB1 in Seattle for several more seasons.
A question asked about wide receiver Metcalf seemed to miff Schneider even more. The truth is that this is the silly part of the NFL offseason, and rumors fly about. If a player is even hinted about being traded, you will see a thousand articles about it. Heck, we react on this website quite often about proposed trades.
John Schneider's reaction implies the Seattle Seahawks are keeping DK Metcalf
Partly, what might have perturbed Schneider about the Metcalf trade rumors is how the question was asked. The reporter simply said, "Where do things stand with DK Metcalf?" That is certainly not a good way to phrase the question.
Schneider has very likely heard a lot of rumors about the team trading Metcalf, but Seattle did not start those rumors. The GM probably doesn't want to give the speculation any merit.
His reaction, as he stood incredulously, to the question was, "Where do things stand? I’m not sure. He’s on our team. Yeah, yeah. He’s a big, strong, fast, physical receiver." Schneider then moved on to the next question.
That is the best answer Seattle Seahawks fans should want. Maybe the team would listen to trade options for Metcalf if the return is high enough, but it is unlikely the offers will have a large enough return for Seattle. In other words, the wide receiver is unlikely to go anywhere.
And Seattle should not want him to. Seattle has a new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, and taking many of his toys away would be rude. There is a decent chance Tyler Lockett is released (Schneider did not sound overly hopeful about Lockett's return, as releasing the receiver would save $17 million in cap room), so losing Metcalf and Lockett this offseason would be a mistake.
Seattle might still take a wide receiver fairly high in the 2025 NFL draft, but if Metcalf and Lockett are gone, the team would have to. John Schneider won't put himself in that position. Plus, his reaction tells us that the team doesn't want to let Metcalf go. That is a wise non-move, as Metcalf, coupled with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, gives the Seahawks one of the best receiver duos in the league.
