THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks' latest saga: What to do with DK?

Speaking of DK …

We were, you’ll recall, since there is a loud, persistent buzz going on about the Seahawks’ star receiver.

DK Metcalf is not just an amazing physical specimen.

In three seasons since landing in Seattle from Ole Miss, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Metcalf has not missed a game, and he’s caught 216 passes for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns.

What’s more, he seems to be getting better.

In the Seahawks’ fractured 2021 season — as QB Russell Wilson missed three games with a fractured finger and played ineffectively in three more — DK’s production went up over his 2020 numbers.

He caught 12 touchdown passes, and bumped his yards per catch from 12.9 to 14.7.

Forgive me for chuckling here, but this seems to be a player you want to keep.

So why is trading him even being discussed?

We all know the financial side of this by now, I think.

METCALF is in the final year of his rookie contract.

This is the point where teams work out long-term extensions with guys they want around — the option being letting them play out the year and becoming free agents (or in some cases, simply cutting them outright).

Normally, DK would be getting a fat deal from the Hawks sometime before kickoff in the fall.

But as we’ve been told a hundred times now, astoundingly expensive contracts for wideouts Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs mean that Metcalf will command money in that same range.

Fair enough.

It’s a capitalist country, and you earn what the market will bear.

Hopefully, though, you read the Cheap Seats on Monday, and noted my thoughts on how the Seahawks should handle the Metcalf affair.

Basically, my opinion was that they should pay him the going rate because, unlike the other three teams who had to trade (or shell out to keep) those star receivers, the Seahawks aren’t paying Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen.

SEATTLE, remember, no longer has a QB making something in Elon Musk’s tax bracket.

Wilson is now Denver’s financial burden — although Seattle has been left with $26 million in dead cap money for this year.

Even with that dead money hit, Wilson’s departure means that the Seahawks have roughly $92 million in available cap space.

That’s just about as much as any team in the NFL, and it’s certainly plenty to give DK a long-term deal, with the money spread out to ease the cap hit for 2022.

Now, if you DID read the Cheap Seats on Monday, you know that my logic was that it could be a cinch to keep Metcalf since Seattle — unlike those teams with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — does not have to worry about paying big money to a quarterback.

As I wrote then, Drew Lock won’t need a Brink’s truck to take home his loot, and if the Seahawks gamble on a rookie QB through the draft, well …

That’s a rookie salary, as well.

THERE’S one scenario that potentially could change the spreadsheet numbers, however.

C’mon, you can figure it out.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider don’t make franchise-changing moves on the spur of the moment.

Whatever they’ve had in mind since deciding to ship out Wilson, it’s been a long-term plan.

Carroll insists that they’re thrilled to get Lock, and he’s asking you to believe that they see something in the below-average (but poorly coached) three-year pro out of Missouri.

Lock managed to complete just 59.3 percent of his throws last year, and he had a ghastly TD-to-interception figure of 25 to 20.

Thinking ahead …

Do we believe Pete when he says that Lock is a glittering diamond in the rough?

Or do we believe Pete on an opposite platform, when he said: “We’re still in the quarterback business.”

That was at the NFL owners meeting, at a regular media session, so Carroll had plenty of time to think about it.

LISTEN, if Lock is going to be QB1 …

That means there’s plenty of money available, and Metcalf should be tied up with a new deal any second now.

Unfortunately, I’m having trouble buying all this hoopla about Lock.

In fact, I think he’s as bad as he’s looked.

There’s a hint here …

The Hawks had better offers for Wilson than they got from Denver, but Russ used his no-trade clause to shoot them down.

If Seattle preferred another destination for its quarterback, there obviously wasn’t any wild desire to land Drew Lock.

If the Seahawks are intentionally stalling on Metcalf, it’s likely because they want the QB situation resolved.

In other words (gulp) …

They might want to take a shot at Baker Mayfield.

We’ll have to talk another time about complications with Mayfield’s contract (fifth-year deal at $18.85 million), his possible long-term maturity (ho, ho), and whether Cleveland can afford to let him go now, with Deshaun Watson facing some sort of suspension (bet on it).

A long chat about Mayfield requires plenty of background, a look at Josh Dobbs (who?), and …

Plenty of Excedrin.

Stay tuned, and brace yourself.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the offseason.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”