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, March 9. 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.
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.
