The Pittsburgh Steelers learned what life would be like without wide receiver DK Metcalf in Week 17, and it wasn't good. The team wasn't missing the production of the player so much, but the threat of what Metcalf could do. The former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is capable of game-changing explosiveness.
Metcalf didn't allow his team to prove to the Cleveland Browns, a bad team with no chance of making the postseason, that the Steelers could do much other than try to dip and dunk down the field. That is because the receiver got into a physical confrontation with a fan during Week 16 and was suspended for the final two games of the season.
The reason the Seahawks traded Metcalf is that he was a mercurial player with a hot temper on the field. He was not the kind of potential leader that head coach Mike Macdonald would want to help the younger players grow on his team.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf might be costing the Steelers a playoff spot
The proof of Metcalf's volatile temper is shown in the number of unnecessary 15-yard penalties he had in his tenure with Seattle. He had the most in the NFL between 2019 and 2024 in that area.
While Metcalf produced several 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Seattle, he was ultimately a failure. He was not as explosive as he could have been consistently, and wasn't transformative. By the end of his time with the Seahawks, the only thing he was really doing was keeping Jaxon Smith-Njigba from becoming the receiver JSN truly is.
But Metcalf got paid, and that is probably what he really wanted. General manager John Schneider seemingly didn't want to give Metcalf $30 million a season in a new contract extension, but the Steelers were willing to. Schneider knew how Metcalf acted in the locker room and how he hurt his team with his volatility on the field.
Pittsburgh even doubled down on its pledge to the wide receiver by not voiding the future guaranteed money of his deal after he was suspended. The Steelers could have, and potentially saved some money. Metcalf could have seen $45 million go poof because of his temper. Instead, Pittsburgh decided not to void the guaranteed money.
Instead of making a stand with Metcalf and saying, "control yourself, or you will lose a lot of money," the Steelers basically were saying they were OK with DK Metcalf's behavior. An odd move.
Ultimately, though, the Seattle Seahawks are the big winners in the DK Metcalf mess. Seattle is headed to the playoffs with a chance at the top seed in the NFC, and the Metcalf-less Steelers have to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 to be in the postseason. If Pittsburgh loses, Metcalf should take a lot of the blame.