DK Metcalf is leaving Seattle for
Pittsburgh with a new deal in tow, AP sources say
[March 10, 2025]
By WILL GRAVES
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have their
established big-play wide receiver.
The Seattle Seahawks are sending two-time Pro Bowler D.K. Metcalf to
Pittsburgh for at least a second-round pick, sources with knowledge
of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The sources
spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not
official.
Metcalf had requested a trade from the Seahawks last week. His
exodus comes during a tumultuous stretch for Seattle, which released
Tyler Lockett — the franchise's second all-time leading receiver —
last Wednesday and then dealt quarterback Geno Smith to the Las
Vegas Raiders late Friday.
The 27-year-old Metcalf will also receive a new five-year deal worth
$150 million, giving Pittsburgh the kind of high-profile big-play
wide receiver the club hasn't had since Antonio Brown was traded to
the Raiders in March 2019.
Metcalf has had at least 900 yards receiving in each of his six
seasons, though he did finish with a career-low five touchdown
receptions in 2024. He has the size (6-foot-4) to leap over
defenders and the speed to run by them.
The next question for the Steelers to answer is who will throw
Metcalf the ball. General manager Omar Khan said at the NFL combine
that all options are on the table.
Still Russell Wilson or Justin Fields — who combined to lead
Pittsburgh to a 10-7 record last season — would appear to make the
most sense in the short term.
Team president Art Rooney II and coach Mike Tomlin have both said
either player could be an option in 2025, though given Fields'
youth, mobility and possibly lower asking price, he may make a
better fit. Still, the Steelers have had six-plus weeks to re-sign
either player and still had not with less than 72 hours to go before
the new league year begins.
Adding one of the most physically imposing pass catchers in the
league in Metcalf, however, could make Pittsburgh more attractive to
some of the other quarterbacks about to enter the market.
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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) warms up before an
NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 8,
2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
Metcalf could also become a mentor to talented but
mercurial wide receiver George Pickens. The 23-year-old Pickens is
about to enter the final year of his rookie deal and while he has
shown flashes of brilliance, he has often mixed it with bouts of
petulance. The Steelers have remained bullish on Pickens despite his
missteps, though it's uncertain how Pickens might react to no longer
receiving top billing.
Either way it goes with Pickens, Metcalf's arrival marks a bold step
for Khan, who pursued San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk last summer only
to have Aiyuk re-sign with the 49ers. The Steelers never did find
another established target to put opposite Pickens, and the offense
sputtered down the stretch. Pittsburgh dropped its last five games,
including a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the
playoffs.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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