The Green Bay Packers had a very pound and bomb offense in 2024. The team had its lowest pass rate since 2003, but at the same time quarterback Jordan Love was fifth in average depth of target (ADoT), only behind Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, Cleveland Browns’ Jameis Winston, and Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
The problem now becomes the lack of deep threat options. Over the last few seasons, the best one has been Christian Watson, but the fourth-year wide receiver is expected to miss a significant part of the season with an ACL injury. Moreover, this is the last year of his rookie deal.
The Packers need a new option, and preferably a long-term one.
Dataroma did this interesting chart with data from Fantasy Points Data and nflfastr, and it shows who an ideal trade target could be.
Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf is an elite deep threat, right behind George Pickens—a player who is probably out of the equation for the Packers because of non-playing reasons. Metcalf, meanwhile, offers a great combination of production and volume, something that’s truly hard to replicate.
Weapon
Last season, DK Metcalf was 13th in the entire NFL in average depth of target (14.2). This is still below Christian Watson (18.7), who was third in the league as a designated deep threat, but it’s still higher than most top wide receiver options around the NFL.
His reliability is also impressive. Amongst the top 30 wide receivers in ADoT, Metcalf was the only one with a PFF drop grade over 80, which means he offers a unique combination of getting deep targets and grabbing the football at an extremely high level.
Recently, general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted the Packers had a second-round grade on Metcalf when he was drafted in 2019—the team, though, passed on him to select guard Elgton Jenkins.
It’s difficult to know if the Seattle Seahawks would actually entertain the possibility of moving on from Metcalf, but he’s entering the final year of his second NFL contract. Asked about where things stand, Seahawks general manager John Schneider wasn’t open to give many details.
“Where do things stand?” Schneider questioned. “I’m not sure. He’s on our team. Yeah, yeah. He’s a big, strong, fast, physical receiver.”
John Schneider worked alongside Brian Gutekunst in the Packers front office for eight seasons before becoming the Seahawks’ GM. In Green Bay, he was a top personnel aide to the general manager and a director of football operations. Their close relationship might be helpful in this case.
DK Metcalf signed a three-year, $72 million extension with the Seahawks back in 2022. This year, he is slated to make $18 million.
The current salary is palatable, for sure, but before executing a trade the Packers would have to understand how much Metcalf would want in an extension, because that’s ultimately a key part of the process to understand the value and feasibility of the move.
Contract aside, the idea of Jordan Love and DK Metcalf playing together would be extremely fun. And head coach Matt LaFleur could use their partnership on the field in multiple explosive ways.