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Brady HendersonESPN
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks and star receiver D. K. Metcalf have agreed to a three-year, $72 million extension that includes $58.2 million in guarantees, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
The guaranteed total includes a $30 million signing bonus, the source said, the highest for a wide receiver.
The deal quickly ends Metcalf’s two-day “hold” and secures one of the Seahawks’ best future players. The 24-year-old Metcalf, who had one year and just under $4 million left on his rookie deal, is now signed through 2025.
His extension’s $24 million new money average makes Metcalf the highest-paid player on the Seahawks, beating safety Jamal Adams at $17.5 million, cementing him as the new face of the franchise now that Russell Wilson Y bobby wagner they left.
Metcalf and Stefon Diggs of the Bills are now tied for having the sixth-highest average annual salary among NFL wide receivers.
The extension’s three-year length is shorter than the Seahawks typically prefer for big-money second deals, and it puts Metcalf on track to become a free agent at age 28. He also came in with a shorter wait than some of the Seahawks. recent mega deals that didn’t materialize until well into training camp.
Metcalf reported to camp on time Tuesday but sat out the first two practices as his agent, Tory Dandy, and the Seahawks continued to negotiate. Trainer Pete Carroll made it clear that his non-participation was contract-related and not due to surgical repair of Metcalf’s foot.
Metcalf’s future in Seattle looked somewhat uncertain earlier this offseason, after general manager John Schneider publicly expressed surprise at some of the mega deals that sent the wide receiver market skyrocketing. The Seahawks received calls from teams interested in Metcalf in the wake of those comments, but Seattle told suitors it wasn’t interested in trading him, according to a source.
Despite trade speculation and rising WR salaries, the Seahawks expressed confidence both publicly and behind the scenes that they would close a deal with Metcalf before the season. That was the case even after Metcalf’s unresolved contract caused the receiver to skip last month’s mandatory minicamp with what the team deemed an unexcused absence.
Carroll then pointed out that the Seahawks have a strong history of extending players they want to keep long-term since he and Schneider arrived in 2010.
“I’m not less optimistic, no,” Carroll said in June, after Metcalf failed to show up for minicamp. “We’ve been through this for years. It’s a challenging time. We’ve had so many high-profile guys go through this process, and how did it work out for us? We got it figured out in time. John’s on it. He’s got all the experience he needs.” you can have in handling these things and DK has great representation and DK is a great kid. But there’s no getting around the first time of this, the first time of what it feels like and the experience and all of that. He’s a remarkable person. He’s a wonderful player. He’s got a lot to offer the world and all of that, I just don’t want him to miss this opportunity where we can’t figure it out. So we’re going to do everything we can.”
Metcalf has a combined 216 receptions for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He made his only Pro Bowl in 2020 after breaking Steve Largent’s single-season franchise record with 1,303 receiving yards. After suffering a career-threatening neck injury in college, Metcalf hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career.
He played most of last season with a broken bone in his foot that required surgery. Carroll said Wednesday that Metcalf passed his physical and is doing well.