Star Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf requested a trade on Wednesday, which the team is expected to grant. The Buffalo Bills have a glaring need at WR, and there are several options hitting the market earlier than expected. Metcalf himself is a talented player, and an athletic freak, capable of elevating this Bills offense. Still, he's not the right choice for Buffalo. There are several reasons why.
The price is the cost
In a year where the Bills are projected to spend big, the placement of the deals they make is critical. When they spend and how they do it is almost more important than what the cost is. This is genuinely the right time to spend, but the aforementioned cost is enormous.
Per The Athletic's Diana Russini, The Seattle Seahawks have set their value at the market; DK Metcalf will cost a suitor their first-round draft pick, plus a third-rounder. It's a monumental price, and one that doesn't even come without conditions. Any team assuming the star receiver also assumes the responsibility of signing him to a brand new market-resetting contract.
If teams want to acquire Seahawks WR DK Metcalf, they will need to sign him to a new contract — on top of meeting Seattle's current price.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 6, 2025
I reported the details: pic.twitter.com/fiXGy76DV4
The Buffalo Bills would have to sign Metcalf to a deal worth $30m per season. That is not a typo. With that number, DK would be tied for the fifth-largest average annual value (AAV) of any receiver in the league. The only pass catchers ahead of him would be Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He'd have the same paycheques as Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk.
If that's not argument enough, we have examples which hit closer to home. Stefon Diggs had been worth his weight in gold for almost his entire tenure with the Buffalo Bills. It was a price they happily paid when he gave them that production. At his height, Buffalo extended him to a four-year $104m deal- a $26m AAV. That player, and the one on the trade block today, are vastly different. We don't discredit DK, but it's a massive commitment. Metcalf has been incredible, but does he bring enough to the table to justify that deal?
Do-it-all DK Metcalf?
The problem isn't that DK Metcalf is a bad player- he isn't. The issue is not that he isn't worth a brand new contract- he is. The primary focus on the DK Metcalf trade, for the Buffalo Bills especially, is that you need more from a player who will cost you multiple premium draft picks and $30m per season on a new contract. He has to be an instrumental piece of the team, and change the way the game is played by everyone on the field. This individual is not that player.
Metcalf has been very successful in his NFL tenure. From a historic performance at the combine before the 2019 draft to his six consecutive seasons of 900+ receiving yards- His work has been the primary reason for his interest on the trade block. However, he doesn't offer the complete package. Metcalf has issues with some aspects of his position. He struggles to separate beyond his athleticism, racks up penalties like he's on defense, and can't catch consistently through contact.
The ability to get open, and to make the catch anyway when you don't, is critical to being a top-money receiver. Metcalf's drawbacks are not insurmountable, but they are notable.
A one-move offseason
With a deal of this magnitude, the Buffalo Bills would have expended their resources. Say goodbye to trading for Myles Garrett. Farewell, to the controversial extension for James Cook. Au revoir, any number of meaningful and impactful dealings. This move handcuffs the franchise to DK Metcalf in a way that we are reluctant to see them do again so soon.
In a year of such opportunity, following a season spent remaking this team into something entirely new, Buffalo simply cannot afford to miss.