SEATTLE -- Seahawks star wide receiver DK Metcalf has requested a trade away from Seattle and prefers to be dealt to a contending team, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Metcalf, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, made his trade request Wednesday after a series of conversations over the past two weeks, the source told Schefter. The request came on the same day the Seahawks announced the release of franchise great and fellow receiver Tyler Lockett in an expected move.

The Seahawks are upset that news of Metcalf's trade request was leaked on a day the organization was celebrating Lockett's 10-year career in Seattle, a source told ESPN. The source said the team will explore a Metcalf trade, adding, "We will do what's best for the Seahawks."

Metcalf's agent did not respond to a request for comment from ESPN.

The team had already engaged in trade discussions regarding Metcalf before Wednesday, according to a source, though it's not clear if they were actively shopping the receiver or merely listening to trade offers.

Metcalf, 27, is seeking a new deal as he enters the final year of the three-year, $72 million extension he signed in 2022. He's set to make a little over $18 million in 2025. Trading him before June 1 would clear nearly $10.9 million in salary cap space but would force the Seahawks to take on $21 million in dead money this season.

Metcalf is coming off a 66-catch, 992-yard, five-touchdown season, having missed two games with a knee injury.

With speculation mounting about his future in Seattle as he entered a contract year, general manager John Schneider brushed off a question about the receiver's situation at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Coach Mike Macdonald has talked publicly about Metcalf being a focal point of Seattle's offense in 2025, reiterating at the combine that they had to get him more involved after he finished last season with 108 targets in 15 games.

Macdonald previously talked about how his interviews with offensive coordinator candidates included questions about how they would maximize Metcalf, and that his pick for the job, Klint Kubiak, had a strong plan.

Metcalf averaged nine targets over the Seahawks' first six games last season. He hurt his MCL in Week 7, missed two games and then averaged just under six targets the rest of the season. Macdonald noted that Metcalf still wasn't 100% healthy while citing the emergence of second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba -- who led the team with 100 catches, 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns -- as another factor.

The Seahawks traded up to draft Metcalf with the final pick of the second round in 2019. Despite running a 4.33 second 40-yard dash at the combine at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, he had fallen in the draft due in part to concerns about his route running as well as a serious neck injury that had ended his final college season at Ole Miss.

But Metcalf quickly became a star, finishing with 900 receiving yards as a rookie before setting a franchise record with 1,303 in 2020. He made the Pro Bowl in his second season and again in 2023. His 6,324 receiving yards are the most in team history over a player's first six seasons. That total ranks 11th among wide receivers since 2019, while Metcalf's 48 receiving touchdowns are fifth most in that span.

Metcalf's 38 total penalties are 10 more than any other wide receiver had since 2019. He has drawn criticism for a sometimes-undisciplined playing style, with several of his penalties coming for after-the-whistle infractions.