D.K. Metcalf's Steelers Career So Far is a Dumpster Fire
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave D.K. Metcalf 10 targets in Sunday's season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons. He turned them into a forgettable four catches for 40 yards, didn't score, and was credited with multiple drops and penalties.
If you're like me, a longtime fan of both the Steelers and Metcalf, in 2019 you hoped Pittsburgh would draft the Ole Miss product. Later, you hoped the post-Antonio Brown Steelers would find a way to acquire Metcalf, and you celebrated when they finally did.
The Steelers didn't trade for Metcalf because they needed another competent receiver. They gave Seattle a second-round pick, immediately handed Metcalf a four-year, $132 million extension, and paid him like one of the best receivers in football. Pittsburgh made that investment because they needed him to be the man. They needed him to make George Pickens expendable.
So far, D.K. in Black and Gold has been a monumental disappointment.
Pittsburgh Paid for More Than This
Metcalf's first season with the Steelers was the best among Pittsburgh's receivers, but given the lackluster performances of his peers, that's not saying much.
He caught 59 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. He showed flashes of the physicality and explosiveness that made him one of the league's more dangerous receivers in Seattle. Those wouldn't have been bad numbers for most wideouts, but "not bad" wasn't what Pittsburgh paid for.
The 850 yards were the lowest total of Metcalf's NFL career. Even that number was propped up considerably by two big games, when he had 126 yards against Minnesota and 148 against Baltimore. Take away those two afternoons and Metcalf produced 576 yards in his other 13 games, an average of just over 44 yards per appearance.
I mean, that's great for a solid slot receiver, or an average number two guy. It's a lot harder to accept from a player carrying a $33 million annual contract and the cost of a second-round draft pick.
Sunday against the Falcons offered Metcalf a chance to start changing the narrative. Pittsburgh certainly wasn't hiding him in the offense, either. His 10 targets easily led the team, but the result was four catches for 40 yards while newcomer Michael Pittman Jr. led the Steelers with 58 yards on only three targets.
The entire Pittsburgh offense was inconsistent, and Metcalf wasn't responsible for all six incompletions thrown in his direction. Atlanta also gave him extra defensive attention at times, and officials appeared to miss at least one pass interference call. Still, when the ball did reach him, there were missed opportunities, including multiple drops.
His First Season Ended Worse Than the Numbers Suggest
It wouldn't be quite so bad if Metcalf's woes were only about the numbers.
The NFL suspended Metcalf for the final two games of the 2025 regular season after his, for lack of a better term, boneheaded physical confrontation with a fan during Pittsburgh's game against Detroit. His appeal was denied, leaving the Steelers without their highest-paid receiver during an important stretch of the season.
His return in the playoffs didn't do much to repair the damage. Metcalf caught two passes for 42 yards on five targets in Pittsburgh's 30-6 Wild Card loss to Houston. Metcalf obviously didn't lose a 30-6 playoff game by himself, but he wasn't the difference maker that the Steelers needed him to be.
The Steelers Have Been Circling Metcalf Since 2019
Just a few weeks after ending the Antonio Brown drama in Pittsburgh, the Steelers had an obvious hole at wide receiver, and the built-like-a-tank Metcalf seemed like a natural fit.
Pittsburgh originally owned the 52nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Steelers included that selection in the trade with Denver that moved them from No. 20 to No. 10, where they selected linebacker Devin Bush.
Metcalf was still available when pick No. 52 arrived. He remained on the board until Seattle selected him with the 64th and final pick of the second round, while Pittsburgh took Diontae Johnson two selections later at No. 66.
So ultimately, the Steelers traded up to draft a linebacker who didn't work out and indirectly passed on Metcalf before drafting a receiver who never became the long-term answer they were looking for.
The Steelers didn't literally pass on Metcalf at No. 52. They had already traded the pick, and nobody was seriously arguing that Pittsburgh should have taken Metcalf at No. 10 instead of Bush.
The hindsight is still hard to miss. Six years later, after watching Metcalf develop into a Pro Bowl receiver in Seattle, the Steelers finally acquired him by sending the Seahawks another second-round pick.
The hype after bringing in a player that the fanbase coveted was real. But after all of that, 850 yards in Year 1 was one of the biggest letdowns in recent Steelers memory.
George Pickens Isn't Helping the Comparison
The George Pickens part of this story is a little extra salt in the wound.
Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with the Cowboys and earned second-team All-Pro honors. As I mentioned above, Metcalf finished his first Steelers season with 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns.
That's a 579-yard difference.
Yeah, Pittsburgh made the right move trading Pickens. After A.B. going off the rails, and Diontae Johnson being a bit of a diva himself, they absolutely did the right thing. But Steelers fans watching the younger, explosive receiver their team traded away immediately produce the kind of season they hoped they were buying when they acquired Metcalf.
That comparison will follow Metcalf until he gives people a reason to stop making it.
Year 2 Is Supposed to Change the Conversation
New head coach Mike McCarthy praised Metcalf throughout the offseason and called him an "absolute stud." Aaron Rodgers said he had looked "unbelievable," and Pittsburgh added Pittman to a receiving corps that badly needed another credible option opposite Metcalf.
Adding Pittman removed much of the excuse that Metcalf was the only focus of opposing defensive backs. Gone are the Calvin Austins, and with Roman Wilson showing he belongs, defensive coordinators have to pay attention to a few names in the Steelers offense now.
It's one game with new receivers, new offensive linemen and an entirely new coaching staff. Both the Steelers and Falcons offenses looked like they had an abundance of Week 1 rust to shake off.
But given how last season went, there is legitimate reason to raise an eyebrow at Metcalf's first-game struggles.
Pittsburgh didn't make one of the largest receiver investments in franchise history to get decent production. The Steelers paid for a receiver capable of taking over games and changing their offense.
Metcalf has shown that he can do it, but if he continues to struggle, Mike Tomlin and Calvin Austin aren't here to blame anymore.
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