Although the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t know who their quarterback was going to be for most of the offseason, they didn’t waste time adding more offensive talent. Their first big move of the offseason was trading for DK Metcalf. Now, Metcalf will be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. That’s a combination that could be one of the best in the league, according to Kay Adams.
“This might be, as we’ve asked several people, the best deep-ball situation in the game between Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf,” Adams said Wednesday on her Up & Adams Show. “This is not an up-and-down player, this is a consistent wide receiver. He’s always in the ballpark of [1,000 receiving yards] every year in his career. How does it not get better with Aaron Rodgers? He’s got a huge body, wins in contested situations, all the things. The downfield threat. This makes him the perfect match for Aaron.”
Rodgers and Metcalf seem to be getting along already. Adams is expecting Metcalf to improve statistically playing with Rodgers, but how likely is that?
DK Metcalf wasn’t completely happy in Seattle, which is part of the reason the Steelers were able to trade for him. However, it’s not like he was getting bad quarterback play. Geno Smith revived his career in Seattle and had a solid year in 2024, completing 70.4 percent of his passes for 4,320 yards, 254.1 per game. Rodgers himself threw for only 229.2 yards per game last season.
It may take some time for Rodgers and Metcalf to get in sync. In Seattle, the Seahawks took advantage of Smith’s ability to throw the deep ball. Metcalf’s average depth of target (ADOT), meaning how deep down the field he was when being targeted, was 13.1 yards. His yards before catch per reception (YBC/R) was 11.0.
For Rodgers, his completed air yards per completion (CAY/Cmp), more simply the average distance his passes traveled before being caught, was just 4.8 yards in 2024. His intended air yards per pass, (IAY), meaning the distance his passes went to their intended receiver, completed or not, was just 6.8.
What does this all mean? Essentially, Metcalf’s targets in 2024 were much farther down the field than Rodgers typically looked in 2025. It makes sense, as Rodgers prefers to get rid of the ball quicker at this stage in his career. However, that doesn’t mean Rodgers won’t be looking his way.
With Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, plus a potential workhorse back in Kaleb Johnson, the Steelers will be in 12 personnel a lot. That should suck the defense forward and potentially give Metcalf more space to work down the field. Pittsburgh also has smaller, quicker route runners in Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson who will work underneath.
DK Metcalf should get a ton of looks with Rodgers. They have to be good looks for this pairing to work, though. If Pittsburgh can establish a run game, and the offensive line can protect Rodgers in play-action, these two have every chance to be just as good as Adams thinks they can be. But it may take some time.
