Patriots have reportedly ‘kicked the tires’ on DK Metcalf trade
Metcalf is coming off a 2024 season where he reeled in 66 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns with Seattle.
The Patriots are seemingly leaving no stone unturned in their efforts toward giving Drake Maye a No. 1 wide receiver to work with in 2025 and beyond.
New England is in desperate need of a proven pass-catcher, with Julian Edelman (2019) standing as the last Patriots wide receiver to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
The Patriots lead all NFL teams with $127 million in cap space this offseason. But even with all of that fiscal power, New England may not get to flex it with a lackluster 2025 free-agent class that is already starting to dry up.
If Tee Higgins remains in Cincinnati via franchise tag and Chris Godwin works out a new deal with the Buccaneers, New England might have to opt for the trade route if it hopes to add a game-changing talent to their receiving corps.
And if New England is willing to give up assets, the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed noted on Sunday that the team might be keeping tabs on Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf.
“The Patriots prefer signing Higgins or Godwin over a trade for another No. 1 receiver for the simple fact they would rather sign someone into their $127.7 million worth of cap space instead of surrendering draft capital in a deal and significant cap space,” Callahan and Kyed wrote Sunday. “The front office has nonetheless kicked the tires on a potential trade for Seattle’s DK Metcalf, per source, while it weighs the ripple effects of making a player they’re not familiar with, like Metcalf, the new highest-paid player on the team.”
A Metcalf trade would seemingly satisfy all parties — with New England getting a star talent to pair with Maye and the Patriots having the cap space to sign the 27-year-old receiver to a long-term deal moving forward. Metcalf is coming off a 2024 season where he reeled in 66 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns with Seattle.
Metcalf has surpassed 900 receiving yards in each of his six seasons in the NFL while posting 48 total touchdowns over that stretch.
But even if Metcalf would seemingly be an ideal offseason target for New England, the star wideout may not be all that receptive to a move out to Foxborough.
During an appearance on “The Casuals” podcast with Katie Nolan in January, Nolan asked Metcalf if he’d ever consider living in Massachusetts.
“No,” Metcalf responded, before adding some context to his candid comment.
“It’s not a desirable place in my opinion,” Metcalf said. “Great organization, though.”
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