On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire star wide receiver DK Metcalf in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. The Steelers also agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension with Metcalf, securing his long-term future with the team.
The move is the first significant domino to fall in what will be a pivotal offseason for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since January 2017, losing six consecutive postseason games since then—the longest streak in team history. The Steelers finished 2nd in the AFC North last season with a record of 10-7, two games behind the division champion Baltimore Ravens.
DK Metcalf and George Pickens Are An Elite Duo
The Steelers had been looking to trade for an established receiver for quite some time. Before the 2024 season started, Pittsburgh was viewed as the leading contender to trade for Brandon Aiyuk before San Francisco ultimately ended up meeting Aiyuk’s contract demands. The Steelers would end up trading for the Jets’ Mike Williams at the 2024 trade deadline; however, they still were expected to chase after an elite receiver in the offseason.
Fast forward four months later and Pittsburgh has now landed a certified WR1 in the form of Seattle’s DK Metcalf. The Seahawks were expected to move Metcalf since the star receiver had recently requested a trade. The move comes just two days after Seattle dealt QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2025 third-round pick.
Throughout his career, Metcalf has continually proven himself to be a superstar player. In six seasons with Seattle, Metcalf has 438 receptions, 6,324 receiving yards, and 48 receiving touchdowns. Metcalf has been a Pro Bowler twice in his career, in 2020 and 2023. He was also a second-team All-Pro for the 2020 season.
The addition of Metcalf makes Pittsburgh’s receiving corps quite formidable. Specifically, the duo of DK Metcalf and George Pickens has the potential to be one of the league’s best. The Steelers also have the speedy Calvin Austin and their former third-round pick in 2024, Roman Wilson, to round out their receiver room. Of course, it’s still a possibility that Pittsburgh could add another receiver via free agency or the draft.
What’s Next For Pittsburgh?
The Steelers’ next move will undoubtedly be to get their quarterback situation figured out. Pittsburgh has already missed out on Sam Darnold, who opted to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. They also elected not to re-sign Justin Fields who ended up going to the New York Jets.
Now that the options have gotten slimmer, the Steelers are likely down to either Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson if they are to find their answer at QB in free agency. It’s still a possibility that they could trade for a QB or draft one next month. As for right now, Skylar Thompson is the only quarterback on their roster. Whomever the Steelers’ next QB ends up being, they will have two elite wide receivers at their disposal.
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