DK Metcalf sidelined at Seahawks camp amid contract negotiations

Wide receiver DK Metcalf, who is still awaiting a new contract with the Seattle Seahawks, was a spectator on the first day of training camp due to his ongoing contract extension talks with the team.

Remaining on the sidelines did allow him a pretty good view of the biggest question facing Seattle. Metcalf watched as Geno Smith took the first round of snaps with Seattle’s No. 1 offense on the opening day of camp on Wednesday. Smith getting the nod on the first day was expected and Seattle coach Pete Carroll again proclaimed Smith as the leader in the competition with Drew Lock as the replacement for Russell Wilson.

But the quarterback competition will be a long, drawn-out battle expected to last throughout the preseason. The more urgent matter for Seattle is the situation with Metcalf and how long the current contract stalemate may last.

When Seattle broke from minicamp in June — a mandatory event that Metcalf skipped — there seemed to be optimism a deal would be reached. And while Metcalf reported to camp to avoid being fined, there is still no agreement in place that would keep Metcalf in Seattle beyond this season.

“We were hoping so. We were hoping, so we shot for it,” Carroll said of having a deal already in place before the start of camp. “We’re right there now, and there’s a lot of work being done like right now.”

On “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd reacted to Metcalf’s decision not to attend camp but sit out of practice and foreshadows what that means for the Seahawks this season. 

“[He’s] a great player. Reminds me of Dez Bryant. Dude gets into the end zone. … You know why he wants a new contract a year early? Because he’s not gonna get the ball from Drew Lock or Geno Smith. His numbers are gonna plummet — and he wants that money,” Cowherd said.

“[Seattle] is the worst team in the league not named Atlanta. They’re gonna win three games. … There are no leaders in that locker room. … That locker room could be a post-firework show mess by Week 8.”

DK Metcalf not practicing at Seahawks camp due to contract situation

Colin Cowherd breaks down what Metcalf’s lack of participation means for the Seahawks and why they will miss QB Russell Wilson this season.

Metcalf is currently executing what is unofficially termed a “hold-in,” a strategy that has become popular among players in search of a new deal: Players aren’t fined $40,000 per day for failing to report to work, but they don’t risk injury by participating in practice, per The Athletic.

Metcalf and San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel are the last of a class of wide receivers in line for new contracts in an offseason filled with deals for pass catchers.

Metcalf is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which will pay him about $3.99 million for the upcoming season. He would seem to be in line for an extension in the ballpark of what A.J. Brown, Cooper Kupp and other wide receivers have received this offseason.

Carroll noted that Metcalf is fully recovered from offseason foot surgery, so his absence from practice is not health-related. Seattle is well adept at dealing with players seeking new deals showing up but not practicing until the contract situation is settled, having gone through this in recent years with the likes of Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams and Duane Brown.

While Metcalf’s status remains in limbo, the quarterback situation remains equally unsettled and is likely to stay that way well into August. Carroll didn’t entertain the notion of placing a deadline on when a decision needs to be made, highlighting the importance of the preseason games in making a final decision between Smith and Lock.

It’s the first time Seattle’s faced a quarterback decision in training camp since Wilson’s rookie season of 2012 when he beat out Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson for the job.

For Carroll, the situation feels a bit like college again.

“You guys forget that I coached in college for quite a while and guys graduated all the time. Heisman Trophy winners graduated and we went to the next guy,” Carroll said. “And you always miss when the guys leave. But you can see it and so you start planning for it, you work and you can find success. … I’m taking it in stride, but I’m really determined to make it work.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.