Player: WR DK Metcalf
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers entered the new league year with a splash, and with WR DK Metcalf. Identifying the wide receiver position as a priority to upgrade, they went all in. While they paid market value for the move, they see Metcalf as a more long-term solution than they’ve had. Under contract for the next five years and still 27, he could author a strong second chapter here.
After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson last year, visions of DK Metcalf danced in fans’ heads. After all, they still work out together in the offseason, which must mean he is available for trade. We don’t know how available he may or may not have been, but they reportedly tried.
For the second year in a row, the Steelers traded for a player in March that they tried to trade for during the previous regular season. In 2024, they picked up CB Donte Jackson after trying to add him at the trade deadline in 2023. Last year, before landing Mike Williams, the Steelers aimed for DK Metcalf. Of course, they also tried to trade for half a dozen other wide receivers.
But outside of Brandon Aiyuk, none of the Steelers’ other targets measure up to Metcalf. That’s why they were willing to give up a second-round pick and a five-year, $150 million deal to get him. Chances are, that’s very similar to what they were willing to do with Aiyuk before he nixed a trade.
According to reports, the Steelers plan to hold onto George Pickens even after the Metcalf trade. Of course, if they were putting him on the trade block, they wouldn’t announce it. Other teams might, but that’s not how the Steelers operate. Whether it’s authentic or not, they make other teams think they need to bowl them over with an incredible offer to pry one of their precious wide receivers away.
The Seahawks didn’t need to do that here, because DK Metcalf’s resume speaks for itself. He has a proven track record of production, unlike, say, a Chase Claypool, whom they traded. I’m sure not knowing who would be throwing Metcalf the ball when the Steelers made the trade was nerve-wracking, though.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
