Steelers Trade for DK Metcalf

 The Steelers actually did something! Happy Monday everyone, we were once again approaching a Monday with my tanking Raptors and not much else for me to discuss when bam, Sunday night the notification comes in that the Steelers traded a 2025 second round pick for DK Metcalf. WR was at the top of my wish list for the Steelers this offseason and DK is one of the best in the world, I am thrilled to say the least. Lets break it down a bit!

DK is WR1 in Pittsburgh

And we've been begging for it. I went back and fourth on Pickens last season, for as talented as he clearly is, he didn't show up for some big games and his attitude issues are ever present. DK Metcalf brings an established, legit #1 option to Pittsburgh for the first time since Antonio Brown. There's definitely questions to ponder here, how will George Pickens take being pushed down to WR2? He hasn't exactly shown to be a calm and mature individual throughout his time in Pittsburgh, but then again introducing another star WR into the mix should mean Pickens sees more single coverage, where he's straight up unguardable. From the discourse online, I admittedly am not as tapped in to the Seahawks and DK's personality, I can see that people say DK Metcalf has had his share of attitude issues throughout his career as well. Will these two get along enough over the course of a season? Time will tell. I also think Pickens and Metcalf are similar types of receivers, big long targets that are good at making contested catches while being elite deep threats. Having 2 of those guys isn't necessarily a bad thing but the Steelers still do lack a legit threat out of the slot like a lot of potent offenses have. Still though, on the outside now it's pick your poison. Whichever one of these receivers you decide to leave in single coverage, you should get burned. Last season the Steelers primarily ran Van Jefferson opposite George Pickens, needless to say this is a massive upgrade. 

Only a Second Round Pick!?

At first glance the return for DK Metcalf was super reasonable if you're a Steelers fan. If I were to tell you the Steelers picked a top 10 receiver in the NFL in the second round you'd be thrilled, that's essentially what happened here. The reason he was so cheap is because it comes with a salary cap cost. The Steelers and DK agreed to a 5 year $150m extension immediately after the trade, making him one of the highest paid receivers in football. There's mixed feelings about this, generally I am in the camp of don't pay a ton of money for a receiver, especially in Pittsburgh where they've consistently drafted talent at the WR position for cheap. That being said, going into this next season with George Pickens and a bunch of below average guys was not going to cut it again this season, the Steelers had to do something. Presumably the QB situation isn't going to be a super expensive one for Pittsburgh for the next few years so I am fairly comfortable investing all of that money in a WR given the team composition. That being said, who am I kidding, I am a homer, a star level player just got traded to my team, of course I don't care how much he's being paid! 

QB Situation

Now to the real question! With DK and Pickens forming one of the best 1-2 punches at WR in the league now, who is going to be throwing them the ball? Both starting QBs from last season, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are impending free agents who are getting interest from other teams. Recently there has been some noise that the Steelers have interest in Sam Darnold, though I am skeptical that they'll want to shell out Sam Darnold money after just paying DK Metcalf a big contract. My personal choice for next season is Justin Fields. Fields comes with his flaws, he's not a very good decision maker and we saw last year George Pickens' offense opened up way more with Russ under center instead. My whole thing is though, with two big possession receivers, does Fields even need to be a good decision maker? He has the great element of speed that very few QBs in the NFL have and when he throws the ball, he can just pick a side of the field and launch towards one of his 2 superstars. Realistically though, none of the options the Steelers have are guys that put you over the top by themselves. By virtue of not having all black holes besides Pickens, the offense should be better no matter who they run out there at QB. 

And that's that! Steelers fans online were probably the most miserable group in the NFL this offseason, and I think undeservedly so. Looking at the first round exit from the perspective of the last 10 years, yes it's frustrating, but if you look at the season on a whole, the Steelers outperformed last year. They just got decidedly better at one of their weakest positions and had to give up nothing on their current team to get there. They still have their first round pick this season and more questions to answer at QB and RB. I am encouraged with this step and I think it'll be enough to keep the Steelers fans happy for a bit, although that's a tall order. Go Steelers!