As the ink dried on his new contract extension, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf was able to let the cat out of the bag: He bluffed his team in negotiations.
Metcalf suggested that he used the threat of a "hold-in" to general manager John Schneider to get the two sides closer to a deal.
"I was going to be here, as much as I bluffed to John," Metcalf said Friday. "I wasn't leaving, just to let you all know. I wanted to be here. I wanted to play here and I'm glad that we got something done."
The hold-in tactic -- reporting to camp but not participating until a deal is struck -- has been a more common negotiating ploy by players this cycle. And it worked.
The Seahawks and Metcalf came to agreement on a three-year, $72 million extension on Friday. The contract includes a $30 million signing bonus, the largest for a wide receiver, and a total of $58 million guaranteed. It runs through the 2025 season, right after he turns 28 years old.
It was the latest in a line of high-profile receivers around the NFL receiving massive new deals this offseason. The Seahawks and Metcalf began negotiations at the NFL Scouting Combine in March.
Metcalf had been heading into the final year of his rookie deal and would have been a free agent next spring had no new deal been reached. Although the Seahawks could have used the franchise tag on Metcalf next spring, they seemed motivated to get a deal done now.
Schneider also suggested he wasn't concerned about Metcalf's threats of not playing.
"We knew he was a guy that was going to be here, we had to have here for a long time in order for us to provide for the (fans) a championship team," Schneider said.
Whatever the case, the contract got done. Both sides can claim they won if they want, but the bottom line is that one of the best young receivers is locked up for the immediate future.
