The 2022 Seattle Seahawks are facing all kinds of questions as they come into the new season — primarily at quarterback in the Russell Wilson era — but a similarly prominent question for head coach Pete Carroll as training camp got underway this week was the status of receiver D.K. Metcalf. The 2019 second-round pick was heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and he had been “holding in” through the first couple days of camp – i.e., showing up, but taking no reps.
“We’re working, and I don’t have any update for you, but we are working,” Carroll said Wednesday.
Well, now we know. On Thursday, the Seahawks signed Metcalf to a three-year, $72 million contract extension with $58.2 million guaranteed, and a $30 million signing bonus — per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the largest signing bonus ever given to a receiver.
It’s something the Seahawks had to do in the post-Russell Wilson era, where Geno Smith and Drew Lock are fighting it out to see who can “replace” Wilson. Receiver talent will be at an all-time premium, even given Carroll’s preferences for a balanced offense, and there are few more premium athletic talents than Metcalf. When you have a 6-foot-4, 235-pound receiver who can run a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, you’re dealing with a rare individual.
Moreover, Metcalf’s athleticism and speed have shown up more and more on the field as he’s expanded his route palette. Since his rookie season, Metcalf ranks 10th in targets among all NFL receivers (358), 17th in receptions (216), third in yards per reception (14.7), eighth in yards per target (8.9), and tied for fourth with Cooper Kupp in receiving touchdowns (29). Imagine what he could do in a pass-first offense…
Maybe we’ll get that chance down the road, because Metcalf will have another turn at free agency when he’s 28 years old.
What has made Metcalf so important to Seattle’s offense is not his specific route excellence, though he has improved in that regard, and he’s always been better at it than a lot of people have given him credit for.
In June, Seahawks passing game coordinator Sanjay Lal was very specific regarding how good Metcalf is when it’s time to be exact with his routes.
“I’ve told people he’s the best receiver I’ve ever been around that took the techniques from practice into the game,” Lal said. “If we ran a stutter-hinge versus Patrick Peterson, how it looked and walked through, how it looked in an…
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