The turnover in the Pacific Northwest continued as the Seattle Seahawks shipped off another offensive weapon ahead of the start of NFL free agency. The Seahawks agreed to a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to send the two-time Pro Bowl WR to the Steel City.
Pittsburgh and Metcalf already agreed to a new contract moments after the trade was announced. Let’s examine the WR’s contract, salary, and career earnings following the blockbuster trade.
DK Metcalf’s Contract Breakdown
On a day filled with head-turning moves, the Seahawks and Steelers added another shocker on March 9. After cutting WR Tyler Lockett and sending QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle wasn’t done reshaping its roster, sending Metcalf to the Steelers for a 2025 second-round and swap of sixth and seventh-round selections.
While a target of trade rumors for quite some time, the move doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Seahawks’ 2019 second-round pick officially requested a trade earlier this offseason. While PFSN’s Sterling Xie projected Pittsburgh to acquire Smith through a trade to strengthen the quarterback room, they chose to bolster the WR group instead, with the Raiders beating them to the punch.
Metcalf has an $18 million cap hit for the Steelers in 2025; the Seahawks will take on $21 million in dead cap while also creating $10.8 million in cap space. He now teams up with Calvin Austin III, as George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys following Metcalf’s arrival.
The move is huge as the Steelers have been stuck in an offensive limbo since the departure of franchise cornerstone Ben Roethlisberger. However, there is hope with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback, given that Pittsburgh won the AFC North.
Shortly after the trade between Seattle and Pittsburgh was announced, the Steelers signed Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract. The new deal raises the average annual value (AAV) of his contract from $24 million to $30 million. He is now the third-highest-paid receiver in the NFL in terms of AAV.
Through six years in the NFL, Metcalf has hauled in $61,685,679 in career earnings. In addition to his NFL salary, the brand-new Steelers WR has several endorsement deals as well. He enjoys partnerships with companies like Gatorade, Nestle Nesquik, and Volcanica Coffee, among others.
Metcalf finished the regular season with 59 receptions for 850 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games, averaging 14.4 yards per reception. According to PFSN’s WR Impact Metric, the Steelers star is currently the 23rd-ranked receiver in the league.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Stats and Insights for Wild Card Round
Team:Â Pittsburgh gave up a league-high 10.4 points per game in the fourth quarter. The next highest amount allowed by a playoff team was the Packers at 7.8 points per game.
Playoffs:Â Mike Tomlin has lost six straight playoff games since his last win in 2016. He is 8-11 in his postseason career and won the Super Bowl in the 2008 season.
QB: Aaron Rodgers’ best QBi score in the postseason is 87.2 (B+) against the Atlanta Falcons in the 2010 postseason. In his last postseason game in 2021, he registered a 71.9 (C-) in a loss to the 49ers.
OFF: Including playoffs, the Steelers have gone 69 straight games without scoring more than seven points. The last time Pittsburgh scored more than seven points was Week 1 in 2022. Pittsburgh has a -118 first-quarter point differential in that span.
DEF: In three postseason games since 2019, T.J. Watt has recorded two B- grades (ranked fourth in the league both weeks) and a D+ in three EDGEi rankings. The D+ was in last season’s Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens.
