Despite being a Pittsburgh Steeler for just over a week, wide receiver DK Metcalf is already connecting with the guys he’ll share a sideline with in 2025. Sitting down with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews last week, Metcalf shared that he’s already heard from several teammates since being traded.
“Cam Heyward reach out to me,” he told Matthews for the team’s YouTube channel. “Pat [Freiermuth] reached to me. And Calvin Austin [III] reached out to me. Just told me how excited they were that I was joining the team.”
A defensive captain, team leader, and face of the franchise, it’s no surprise to hear Heyward quickly welcomed Metcalf to the team. He’s done plenty of recruiting over the years, helping to convince Russell Wilson to sign and making a pitch to Darius Slay in 2023 even though a last-second decision kept the latter in Philadelphia. NFL rules prohibited Heyward from recruiting Metcalf before the trade but once announced, it sounds like Heyward was the first to contact him.
It’s no surprise to hear Freiermuth and Austin do the same. Two offensive players who will join Metcalf on the field for a Steelers offense that must improve from its ugly 2025 finish. Freiermuth has focused on being a leader, something first evident in training camp a summer ago. Like Metcalf, he’s here for the long term, fresh off a 2024 extension. The attention George Pickens and Metcalf will receive could create favorable matchups for Freiermuth and Austin.
“I just reached out with the same excitement that I can’t wait to be back in Pittsburgh with them,” Metcalf said of his reply to the trio. “Just get to know all the rest of my teammates.”
Metcalf will join his teammates later this spring during OTAs, which begin in mid-late May. Though optional, attendance is normally high, and Metcalf will surely be there to work with whomever his new quarterback is even if it’s the returning Russell Wilson, his QB in Seattle. Mandatory minicamp will be held in June.
