The connection between new Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf and veteran quarterback Russell Wilson extends off the field into their personal lives, which has raised the question about a possible reunion between the Steelers and Wilson at the quarterback position.
Though Wilson is off visiting other teams like the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, the previous starting quarterback for the Steelers spoke with Metcalf on Wednesday after Metcalf proposed to his fiancée.
During his introductory press conference on Thursday, Metcalf also stated that during the 2024 season, he spoke to Wilson about what it was like to live in Pittsburgh and what the organization was like, foreshadowing a move to the Steel City.
“Well, we haven’t talked about his future, number one. But I talked to Russ yesterday, proposed my fiancée, and he was the one that connected us. So, he was just telling me congratulations, giving us a congratulations on that. But last year, I think like halfway through the season, me and Russ had a conversation about how it was living here, and he just told me that I would love it here,” Metcalf said of his conversations with Wilson, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “And I’m waiting to find that out.”
Wilson and Metcalf’s relationship dates back to when the big, physical receiver was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. Rather quickly, Metcalf and Wilson formed a dynamic pair in the Pacific Northwest with Metcalf recording 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 58 receptions as a rookie.
Then, in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Metcalf recorded 1,303 and 967 yards, scoring 10 and 12 touchdowns in the final two seasons with Wilson before he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
That bond the two formed has remained strong since Wilson left Seattle, with the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback setting Metcalf up with his now-fiancée through a connection with Wilson’s wife, Ciara.
That connection is so good that one Seattle radio host went so far as to suggest earlier in the week that Wilson was in Metcalf’s ear suggesting the star receiver should not only request a trade, but try and finagle his way to Pittsburgh of all places, with Wilson not even under contract.
Despite that strong bond and the conversation away from football Wednesday, there’s plenty of speculation regarding a Wilson-Metcalf reunion in Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers have seemingly shown no interest in Wilson coming back as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, instead turning their attention to names like Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers on the open market after losing out on Justin Fields. They signed Mason Rudolph to a two-year deal as they await word from Rodgers.
The friendship is very real, and it makes sense that the Steelers tried to land Metcalf last season during the trade deadline. But for now, it doesn’t seem like that friendship will come together on the football field in the Black and Gold in 2025.
