There will never be a more momentous day in Seahawks history than March 8, 2022, when Russell Wilson was traded to Denver in the morning and the news of Bobby Wagner’s release came that night.

But Wednesday is up there on the list.

Within about a half-hour of the Seahawks officially releasing Tyler Lockett came the news that DK Metcalf had asked for a trade.

So what now?

Here’s an attempt to answer three questions arising from the fallout of Wednesday’s news.

What led to this?

The most basic answer is that negotiations between the team and Metcalf on a contract extension aren’t going the way Metcalf hoped.

Metcalf, 27, is entering the final year of a three-year contract worth up to $72 million overall, an average of $24 million per season that ranks 13th among receivers in 2025.

A Thursday report from The Athletic stated Metcalf “is eyeing a contract worth around $30 million per year.”

Six receivers make $30 million or more, led by Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson at $35 million. The others are Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb ($34 million), Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown ($32 million), Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30,002,500), Miami’s Tyreek Hill and San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk ($30 million).

Whether Metcalf deserves to be paid as one of the top handful of receivers in the NFL can be hotly debated after a season in which he ranked tied for 39 th in receptions with 66 and 25 th in yards with 992 (missing two games with a knee sprain obviously impacts those stats).

He ranked 35 th in Pro Football Focus’ grades of receivers last season, the second-lowest of his career other than his rookie season in 2019. And his OvertheCap valuation for 2024 was $13.325 million at year’s end.

Metcalf’s cap hit of $31.875 million, however, is now the highest in the NFL for 2025. Seattle has been thought to be hoping for an extension with Metcalf to bring that number down.

An ESPN report Wednesday also stated Metcalf wants to play for a contender.

But that undoubtedly raised some eyebrows in Renton given that Seattle won 10 games in 2024 and seems positioned as well as anyone in the NFC West to win the title in 2025.

Maybe Metcalf is just playing hardball to get what he wants.

Or maybe Metcalf — who grew up in Mississippi and has never become a full-time resident of the Seattle area, spending his offseasons of late in California — just wants out as he nears the midpoint of his career.

One reason for the timing could also be each side realizing both the free-agent and draft markets for receivers this year are not overly strong.

For Metcalf, that means he might get better offers on the open market now than in a year or two, when he’d also be older. And for the Seahawks, it might mean better offers in a trade now than down the road.

What could the Seahawks get for him?

It’s worth reiterating that two things have to happen here: A team has to agree to give Metcalf what he wants contractually, and give Seattle what it wants to deal him.

Metcalf does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. That’s different than the Russell Wilson situation. Wilson had a no-trade clause, and he had two years remaining on his contract.

Wilson could dictate the teams he would approve going to, but there was no need to work out a new contract first.

True, no team is likely to give Seattle what it wants if Metcalf hasn’t agreed to a deal and wants to go there.

But the Seahawks could theoretically just deal him anywhere, and the Seahawks could also not come to terms on a trade, even if Metcalf agrees to a deal with a new team.

What could Seattle get for Metcalf?

A report from Josina Anderson of CBSSports.com stated “there’s a team willing to give at least a third-round pick” for Metcalf.

But it would seem likely to take more than that to get a deal done.

The Seahawks know they would almost certainly get a third-round pick as compensation for letting Metcalf walk in free agency after the 2025 season.

And a report from The Athletic indeed indicated the Seahawks are asking for a lot, stating Seattle wants a first- and third-round pick for Metcalf.

That may be wishful thinking, according to some who follow the league.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell answered the question of what Seattle might get for Metcalf by stating: “Not as much as Seahawks fans might hope. There have been wide receivers who have landed first-round picks in trades over the past few years, including Stefon Diggs (with a seventh-round pick for first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks) in 2020, Davante Adams (first- and second-round picks) in 2022, and Tyreek Hill (five picks, including first- and second-round selections) in 2022. It’s difficult to imagine Seahawks fans being satisfied with anything short of a first-round pick for Metcalf, if not more.”

Barnwell concluded: “My best estimation is the Seahawks would be able to land something close to the draft capital of a pick in the 40s as part of a trade. That might mean getting a first-round pick and sending something back alongside him in return or landing a selection toward the top of the second round. Metcalf is a special enough talent to justify teams treating him as more valuable than Christian Kirk and Cooper Kupp in free agency, but he’s not as young as Diggs and A.J. Brown or as productive as Adams and Hill were when they were traded for first-round picks.”

Here are a few teams thought to be likely interested in Metcalf:

— The L.A. Chargers, who have reportedly inquired about Metcalf in past years, have a desperate need for playmakers to pair with quarterback Justin Herbert and former Seahawks receivers coach Sanjay Lal, who is close with Metcalf, works with the team

— The Las Vegas Raiders (where Pete Carroll is now coach and could use both an infusion of talent and players to excite the fan base)

— The Green Bay Packers (whose need for a No. 1 receiver became apparent in the playoffs)

— The Buffalo Bills (who might also feel they’re a big-play receiver away from finally getting past Kansas City)

— The Denver Broncos (Sean Payton might be enamored of pairing Metcalf with emerging second-year QB Bo Nix)

What happens now?

The timing of Metcalf’s request — a week before the new league year begins and the free-agent signing period — is obviously not a coincidence.

This is when deals/trades most often get done, and anything could likely happen over the next week.

But as noted, Metcalf remains under contract for 2025, meaning the Seahawks don’t have to rush into anything. They could hope that maybe Metcalf explores the market and decides he’s better off staying in Seattle.

Seattle also knows it could use the franchise tag in both 2026 and 2027 if it wants, which ESPN noted would mean paying him $81.3 million over the next three seasons — basically what Metcalf wants but not tying the team into a long-term commitment.

But that likely doesn’t make for a happy Metcalf and might create an uncomfortable atmosphere for all involved.

Metcalf sat out mandatory minicamp in 2022 before his current deal got done, and if this situation lingers, he might decide to sit out everything he could for as long as possible.

That the news was leaked just after the Seahawks officially released Lockett didn’t help.

Seattle wanted to time Lockett’s release to result in a daylong celebration for one of the best and most-beloved players in team history.

Instead, Metcalf’s trade request going public almost immediately after the Lockett news was revealed — which appeared to blindside the Seahawks in its timing — shifted the attention almost immediately to Metcalf.

It certainly didn’t seem the action of someone hoping this all resolves quickly and amicably.

Trading Metcalf, along with releasing Lockett, would give Seattle significant holes to fill at receiver.

But the Seahawks would also undoubtedly have added some significant draft capital to the eight picks they already have, while also adding significant cap space to add to the current $32.5 million (a trade of Metcalf now would add just over $10 million, while a trade after June 1 would add just over $18 million).

If a breakup is going to happen, sooner might be better than later.

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