National Football League

Is mercurial WR DK Metcalf becoming a liability for Seahawks?

Published Dec. 14, 2023 5:38 p.m. ET

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan put the word out before his team faced the Seattle Seahawks last week. There would be a Christmas gift for the 49er who could get mercurial receiver DK Metcalf to blow his top, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

And with Metcalf's reaction, getting tossed late in Seattle's 28-16 loss, he's sure to be baited again when the Seahawks host the Philadelphia Eagles in a nationally televised game on Monday Night Football.

That's not what Seattle needs as the team tries to snap the first four-game losing streak of the Pete Carroll era.

On Sunday, with 3:24 left in the game and San Francisco comfortably ahead, linebacker Fred Warner obliged Shanahan's request. After intercepting Drew Lock and getting slammed to the turf by Metcalf, Warner retaliated by mushing the receiver's helmet into the ground. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Metcalf responded by grabbing and pulling Warner's facemask as the All-Pro linebacker tried to get the attention of the refs.

"If you want to call it frustration, yes, it was frustration," Metcalf told reporters after the game. "From my side, he hit me in the back of the head. I just retaliated."

A full-scale melee ensued, with both benches clearing. Once the officials restored order, Metcalf was ejected from the game, along with San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir for throwing a punch at Metcalf during the scuffle.

"I don't know what happened," Warner told reporters after the game. "I told him he tackled really well and then for some reason he didn't like that. I guess what happened, happened. That's unfortunate. He has to learn to keep his composure, but happy we came out with the win."

Metcalf has been called for four unsportsmanlike personal foul penalties this season, more than any other NFL receiver, according to FOX Sports Stats and Research.

Since he entered the league in 2019, Metcalf has been ejected twice and has piled up 12 personal foul penalties in five NFL seasons.

"Unless he finds a way to control his emotions, he's really of no value," former NFL general manager Randy Mueller told 93.3 KJR-AM in Seattle when asked about Metcalf. "And that's a hard one because he's really talented. He's really a good player. And they've paid him somewhat.

"I don't know how they change it. I'm sure they've talked to him about it. But if you can't be counted on when the chips are down, it's hard to build your team around that kind of reaction."

Seattle leads the league in penalties with 119. That's not always a bad thing. The Seahawks led the NFL in penalties during the team's Super Bowl-winning season in 2013. Carroll considered the penalties a part of doing business with an aggressive, physical style of play, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

And Carroll has often been effective at reaching players who compete with an edge, like the coach did with Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch and Michael Bennett.

However, Metcalf appears to have crossed a line at times. His anger is doing more harm and good, and Carroll must figure out a way to reel him in. That said, last week's unsportsmanlike call was Metcalf's first personal foul in eight weeks.

"We like to be careful and make sure we don't hurt anybody in those situations, and we make good choices, good decisions," Carroll said about Metcalf's involvement in the incident. "We'll see what the league thinks about it."

Metcalf is Seattle's most productive receiver this season, with 51 catches for 864 yards and seven touchdowns on 93 targets. He's averaging 16.9 yards per reception.

The Seahawks could consider trading Metcalf this offseason, seeking a first-round selection as a starting point in negotiations. The Tennessee Titans received first- and third-round picks for moving A.J. Brown to the Eagles during the draft last year, so it’s not an unreasonable ask. But if Seattle were to deal Metcalf, would Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo and potential additions through the draft or free agency match his production?

He's only 26, and he still has two years left on a three-year, $72 million contract. Metcalf should be part of the solution in Seattle. He just needs to be able to control his emotions on the field so his production outweighs his outbursts.

"He's going to be a target until he proves not to be," Mueller said. "And that's all up to him. It's hard to play this game when you can't control your emotions, because the other side will find ways to drag it out of you. When an opposing coach makes a plan to take advantage of that, that's a bad negative.

"It will continue to come up until he proves he can handle his emotions."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.