The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to make at least a moderate splash in the free agent or trade market at the wide receiver position. If they want to make a big splash, Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf recently requested a trade. Originally the Seahawks were reportedly looking for both a first- and third-round pick to wrestle their star receiver away from them, but the cost has now lowered according to a report this morning from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
“The Seahawks’ asking price for WR DK Metcalf has lowered, per sources,” Russini wrote. “Seattle would be open to a return centered around a second-round pick for the two-time Pro Bowl receiver. Metcalf ideally wants to play in a warm weather climate and is looking to make $30m per year.”
It seemed unlikely that the Steelers would trade two of their top three picks for a player like Metcalf when they have plenty of needs to fill. That is especially the case given that he wants a new contract of roughly $30 million per season. But could they be interested now in a deal for a second-round pick? The money part of the equation won’t change, but at least now they would still be able to draft a defensive lineman or cornerback in the first round if they went this route.
Obviously the Steelers wouldn’t satisfy the warm weather part of his desires, but they technically could figure out a way to pay him that $30 million price tag if they really wanted to. Reports indicate that they were close to doing something similar with WR Brandon Aiyuk last offseason, and the salary cap has increased by a healthy amount since then.
According to Albert Breer, teams that don’t meet some of the other criteria could potentially lure him there with a greater offer.
The only way that I could see this potentially making sense for the Steelers is if they bring Russell Wilson back and give him another serious go, this time with better weapons. According to various advanced analytics that I put together on the WR market, Metcalf struggles to separate and hasn’t been very good at contested catches over the last two seasons. He’s been productive throughout his career, but he’s been more of a deep threat, though he does excel with yards after the catch.
To me, he is a similar type of player to George Pickens, only he doesn’t do as well in contested catch situations. If the Steelers happen to bring back Wilson and his moon ball, they could go all in on that type of offense. I personally wouldn’t be excited about that price tag and the draft pick(s) given up to acquire him unless the asking price continues to fall.
