he Las Vegas Raiders need playmakers. Outside of Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, the team didn’t get much from their skill position players in 2024.
The Raiders will almost certainly have a new starting quarterback this season and it makes sense to try and set him up for success. Adding a star wide receiver would only make life easier for whoever the next quarterback is.
The Seattle Seahawks have a difficult salary cap situation this offseason which could lead them to selling off some expensive players. Star wide receiver DK Metcalf may be a logical player to trade and the Raiders make sense as a landing spot.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team pitched a trade that would send Metcalf and the No. 137 pick to Las Vegas for their No. 37 pick.
“We know how much Pete Carroll loves Metcalf, and there would be no problem with him fitting into the culture of Las Vegas,” Mosher wrote in a Feb. 14 column. “Giving up a second-round pick feels a bit steep, but a third-round pick probably wouldn’t get it done.
“If the Raiders can secure a quarterback in free agency like Sam Darnold, this trade makes even more sense, as they will want to surround him with plenty of weapons. And then, they can use the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to shore up the offensive line or to continue to build the defense. Either way, those two moves (adding Darnold and trading for Metcalf) help the Raiders become relevant right away, and that’s Carroll’s goal.”
DK Metcalf on Expiring Contract
A reason that a second-round pick might be too much to give up for Metcalf is the fact that he’s on an expiring contract. He’s likely going to want to get paid quickly if he gets traded to a new team.
While Metcalf is one of the most physically gifted wide receivers in the NFL, he’s coming off a down season that saw him only rack up 992 receiving yards. He’s likely not a top-20 wide receiver in the NFL right now but he’ll probably want to be paid like one.
If he’s willing to take something similar to the $24 million a year he’s getting paid right now, it might be worth it to trade a second-round pick for Metcalf. If he wants closer to $30 million a year, the Raiders may be better off using that second-round pick to draft a wide receiver.
Chris Godwin Could Be Available
The Raiders could also target a wide receiver with ties to the team who will be a free agent if they don’t want to trade for Metcalf. ESPN’s Jenna Laine recently reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t use their franchise tag on impending free agent wide receiver Chris Godwin.
New Raiders general manager John Spytek knows Godwin well and could be able to convince him to come to Las Vegas. He’s not as good as Metcalf but he’s still a very solid wide receiver who wouldn’t cost anything in a trade and is likely looking at a cheaper contract. He could make more sense if the Raiders are planning on paying a quarterback like Sam Darnold big money in free agency.
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