It was a rough week for Seahawks fans as wide receivers Tyler Lockett was released and D.K Metcalf was traded. This came after a rough season where the Seahawks missed the playoffs.
D.K Metcalf
Metcalf was the young bright spot on the offense but remains underutilized. Metcalf, coming out of the 2019 draft, was a physical phenomenon. An elite mix of size, speed and star potential.
However, over his 6 years on the Seahawks, Metcalf has never been able to fully live up to his potential. His best year being in 2020 with 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now, after another disappointing season under 1000 yards, Metcalf has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, reunited with his former quarterback Russell Wilson.
Geno Smith
Smith has been the Seahawks’ quarterback for 5 years, only becoming a starter after Wilson’s injury. As a starter he broke the franchise record for the most passing yards in a season and put up Pro Bowl numbers. Due to his age and inconsistency, the Seahawks chose to move on and traded Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 3rd round draft pick.
Tyler Lockett
Lockett was a longtime starter and playmaker for the Seahawks. Lockett was a crucial part of the late 2010s Seahawks and had four 1,000 yard receiving seasons during that timespan. Lockett, at 32 years old, is too old to be very impactful in the modern offense, causing the Seahawks to release him.
Sam Darnold
On March 10th, Darnold signed a 3 year contract with the Seahawks for 100 million dollars. Darnold has had a tumultuous career but had an excellent year last year. Darnold started his career as the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, playing for the New York Jets. Darnold’s time on the Jets was disappointing to say the least, with below average statistics in each of his 3 years as a starter.
Darnold was then sent off to the Carolina Panthers, where he continued to be below average. After his consistent inconsistency, Darnold found himself in the backup position for both Carolina and later San Francisco. Last year, Darnold was signed by the Minnesota Vikings. There he was paired up with arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, Justin Jefferson.
With great weapons and a great defense, Darnold excelled for the first time as a starter. He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record all while throwing for 35 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Before this year, his season-high was just 19 touchdowns. Seahawks fans hope Darnold continues his improvement and repeats his success from last season.
