With wide receiver DK Metcalf requesting a trade Wednesday, a number of teams should have plenty of opportunities to acquire him.
The one team that needs to acquire Metcalf though, according to ESPN’s Damien Woody, is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike Thursday morning, Woody implored the Steelers to make the move and land the Seattle Seahawks star receiver, stating that because the team isn’t going to spend big and be aggressive at quarterback, why not build up around the position?
“How about Pittsburgh? We’ve been saying from the beginning, I said listen, the very first thing the Pittsburgh Steelers should do is move heaven and Earth to try to get a quarterback. And I talked about Matthew Stafford. Well, we know that’s not happening now. They’re not gonna pay 40, 50 [million] whatever it is for Sam Donald. So if you’re gonna go out here and get second-tier quarterbacks, then why not upgrade around the quarterbacks?” Woody said of the Steelers and Metcalf, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “That was one of the main issues we talked about with Pittsburgh was, outside of George Pickens, who scares you?
“No one. No one. They don’t have anyone that scares you. So improve the position players around the quarterback position.”
The Steelers have had a significant need at receiver for the last calendar year, especially after trading Diontae Johnson away and never adequately replacing him. Though George Pickens took a step forward in 2024 as a receiver, he still remains the only consistent, viable threat on the roster.
So, with the Steelers not pursuing Matthew Stafford via trade due to financial implications and unlikely to go after Sam Darnold at around $40-50 million per year on the open market, Woody makes a compelling case for them to pursue a player like Metcalf. He turn the receiver room into a strength, creating a good situation for whomever the quarterback is, at least on paper.
Theoretically, it makes all the sense in the world. The Steelers reportedly checked in on Metcalf last year at the trade deadline in an effort to try and land him. He’s a big-bodied receiver who brings a great deal of physicality and toughness to the position and would be a great fit in Arthur Smith’s scheme, much like former college teammate A.J. Brown was in Tennessee.
But The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Thursday morning that the Seahawks want a first- and third-round pick for Metcalf, on top of a team needing to give him a new contract, and that seems a bit out of Pittsburgh’s wheelhouse.
Chances are, the Steelers will check in on Metcalf’s availability. But with the likes of Christian Kirk, Davante Adams and Tyler Lockett hitting the free agent market along with Darius Slayton, and the Cooper Kupp trade situation still developing, it seems unlikely the Steelers would pony up for Metcalf at this point.
