The Cleveland Browns should be on the phone trying to make a trade for high-flying Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf after the trade of Russell Wilson.
Part of this Cleveland Browns offseason has circled around their No. 13 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft later next month. The discussion has also revolved around the idea that the team would be aggressive in pursuing a veteran wide receiver in free agency when that window opens next week.
There were several stories in the last 24 hours though that have reshaped those ideas and the Browns would be advised to consider trying to trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf, the brilliant young and talented 24-year-old from the Seattle Seahawks for that No. 13 pick and a few other picks thrown in.
Why? Well, the Seattle Seahawks just decided to trade their best player and franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a ton of draft picks and a few players from the Broncos.
With the Seahawks announcing to the world that they are open for business and have no plans to be competitive next season, this would absolutely be an ideal time for Browns general manager Andrew Berry to call up to the Seahawks and start negotiating a deal that would bring Metcalf to Cleveland. It would be a huge boost to a Browns offense and immediately make them a legitimate contender next season.
Yesterday, the Browns and fans of the team were not expecting that the Seahawks would trade their quarterback, Wilson. Yes, some fans had hopes that maybe Wilson would be traded to the Browns but many didn’t see this move coming.
The continuous conversation around who the team might draft at that pick No. 13 might have just been answered with the name Metcalf. Let’s tackle a few of the main reasons this trade would make so much sense for Cleveland and why the Browns front office should be on the phone with the Seahawks as we speak to get Metcalf to “The Land”.
Reason No. 1 the Cleveland Browns should trade for Seattle Seahawks DK Metcalf: He’s a difference-maker
DK Metcalf has been in the league three short years and the 24-year-old is instant offense — and could be the difference-maker in Cleveland. All fans of the Browns have been discussing for months is how to get the offense back in line as they were in 2020.
The injuries to starting quarterback Baker Mayfield have been well documented and there is a legitimate reason to believe that at least some of the lackluster offensive performances by the team were hindered by the quarterback being hurt — although the lack of explosive receivers was also an issue.
Metcalf would help turn the tide again. He’s been outstanding in his three seasons up in Seattle. He’s tallied 3,170 yards in catches and has amassed 29 touchdowns including 12 this past season. He caught 150 passes for first downs. He’s had all three seasons catching for over 900 yards. He continues to catch more touchdowns every season.
He’d be the centerpiece on the dining room table for the Browns offense. His 6-foot-4 frame and his ability to climb walls to catch some of those Mayfield passes that were aimed for the moon could actually be hulled in by the giant, aka DK Metcalf. Cleveland is searching for that difference maker and Metcalf would check off all the boxes if they were to pursue this trade.
Reason No. 2 the Cleveland Browns should trade for Seattle Seahawks DK Metcalf: It’s the last year of his current contract
DK Metcalf is going into the last season of his rookie deal. If his current team decided to trade Metcalf today, Seattle would only absorb over $338,827 in dead cap money. The Seahawks would save nearly $4 million in cap space. Now that Wilson is gone and traded to the Broncos, we know that the Seahawks are in rebuild mode. They want to stack up on draft picks and start anew.
Holding onto a player like Metcalf and forcing him to play through a season where his team doesn’t have any intentions of getting to the playoffs would just be a waste of his talents. Metcalf would be wise to look to move on to greener pastures. The Cleveland Browns would certainly fit that accommodation.
Obviously, there will be many NFL teams calling up the Seahawks and inquiring about the trade possibilities about Metcalf. Why would a youngster like Metcalf, who just found out his quarterback left the team want to return to play for a team without any direction?
The Browns have a direction, though it got a bit derailed last season, to get to the Super Bowl. Metcalf has to know he has no shot at getting to a Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Obviously, he’ll want to get paid nicely on his next contract.
Cleveland has a lot of cap space to make that happen. They made it to the playoffs a year ago. Seattle made it to the playoffs in both 2019 and 2020 but not this past season and that certainly isn’t going to happen this next season if he were to stay.
Seattle would be smart to listen to the Browns and other teams’ offers for Metcalf as he’s one of the few assets the team has moving forward.
Reason No. 3 the Cleveland Browns should trade for Seattle Seahawks DK Metcalf: The draft is deep with wide receivers, Browns don’t need pick No. 13
All offseason, there has been discussion around the No. 13 pick. Most fans in the Dawg Pound are betting on a wide receiver being taken. Collegiate players like Garrett Wilson, Drake London, and Treylon Burks could all be here for the Brown to draft.
However, there are several other wide receivers such as Calvin Austin III from Memphis, Christian Watson from North Dakota State, and, Jahan Dotson from Penn State that could all be available for the Browns to draft in later rounds of the draft.
Giving up the No. 13 pick to get Metcalf would be a great move by the team. They could still get a quality collegiate prospect and potential starter on the offense while also securing a known commodity.
The Seahawks may want a Browns player like Donovan Peoples-Jones thrown into the draft and that’ll be fine. The Browns would have Metcalf as their No. 1 receiver and all the other wide receivers would fall in line. The fact that the team hasn’t had an established No. 1 wide receiver on the team for years would certainly help turn around a quarterback like Baker Mayfield’s luck.
Some have argued that Mayfield has been the problem, and players in the past like wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. were hurt in their production because of the struggles of Mayfield.
I’d go out on a limb and suggest otherwise, that both Landry and Beckham are less productive because of their years in the league and the wear and tear of the game, and that neither helped Mayfield out, especially this past season.
Rebooting the wide receiver room would be the Browns best interest and starting with bringing DK Metcalf into the fold would be a game-changer. If the Browns aim to get back to the postseason, they will have to be aggressive in their search for talent and players they believe can get them to the Super Bowl.