SEATTLE — Amid contract extension negotiations, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf was reportedly not present for mandatory minicamp Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Rapoport said Metcalf, 24, is rehabbing a foot injury in Los Angeles but did not report to mandatory training Tuesday as he discusses a possible contract extension with the Seahawks.
The 24-year-old wide receiver is on the last year of his rookie contract, which was worth about $4.6 million for four seasons, according to spotrac salary data.
Metcalf has hauled in 216 catches for 3,170 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons with the Seahawks.
The emerging threat posted a career-best 1,303 receiving yards in the 2020 season, good enough to make him a second-team National Football League (NFL) All-Pro. He had the seventh-most receiving yards in the league in just his second NFL season.
Metcalf has played in 49 of a possible 49 games for the Seahawks since he was drafted in 2019. He started in 48 of 49 appearances.
What does this mean?
Metcalf's rookie contract expires at the end of the 2022 season. He'd like a long-term contract equivalent to his wide receiver peers.
Look no further than his former college teammate, A.J. Brown, for a potential expectation of his market value.
Brown agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason after posting 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first three seasons. Metcalf has more receiving yards and touchdowns than Brown, albeit in six more career games.
Tyreek Hill inked a four-year, $120 million contract with the Miami Dolphins and Davante Adams signed terms on a $141 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, representing the top-tier earners for the position.
In an NFL dominated by quarterbacks and innovative aerial attacks, wide receivers are becoming more valuable than ever before.
Metcalf is looking to join the other upper echelon wide receivers with his next contract.
If the two sides do not agree to an extension the Seahawks can explore possible trades to hasten their post-Russell Wilson rebuild project.
Metcalf can be fined approximately $90,000 if he skips all three days of mandatory minicamp, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
How will he fare without Wilson?
That's the multi-million dollar question, isn't it?
Metcalf improved his catch rate and efficiency metrics in an impressive sophomore season.
In his third season, Metcalf reverted to his rookie levels in yards per game and yards per target. Wilson injured his finger during the 2021 season, missing games for the first time in his career, and Metcalf's productivity dipped across the board.
The All-Pro receiver had just one game with over 100 receiving yards in the 2021 season. He exceeded that threshold five times in 2020.
His quarterback situation figures to be worse in 2022, as Geno Smith and Drew Lock battle for the new starting job. Neither quarterback has reached 3,500 passing yards in a season, a mark Wilson accomplished in seven consecutive seasons.