When he was with the Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver DK Metcalf never quite reached an elite level over a long period of time. He certainly had his brilliant games, and some came in the playoffs, but he could be just as invisible at other times. His size and speed implied he should be among the best in the NFL at his position, but he was too inconsistent.
Still, he received the kind of attention a top-10 wide receiver would get from the media, but he was never truly a top-10 wideout. Instead, he was arguably among the top-10 most overrated players in the league, and, according to a recent FanSided poll, he still is.
Most 12s likely couldn't agree with the poll more. Metcalf created as many headaches from his tendency to accrue unnecessary 15-yard penalties as he did cheers from explosive plays. He was good, but he wasn't good enough.
Former Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf lands on a top-10 overrated list
According to a poll of writers at FanSided NFL team sites, Metcalf ranks as the fifth-most overrated player in the entire league.
As Jason Reed correctly surmises, "Seattle got better with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the WR1, while Metcalf couldn't outproduce what George Pickens was doing for the Steelers. Metcalf, who was once viewed as a legitimate franchise-altering WR1, might instead be an overqualified WR2."
Exactly. At 6'4" and with immense strength and speed, Metcalf should have been the kind of wide receiver who caught at least 90 passes every season and finished with close to 1,400 yards and double-digit touchdowns. In fact, he had only one season with more than 90 catches (when he had 100 in 2022), and one season close to 1,400 yards (1,399 in 2020).
In his last three seasons, he hasn't caught more than 66 passes in a season and hasn't had more than 992 yards in either of the last two years. He has 59 touchdown catches in his career, but 44 drops.
In the last three seasons, his best catch rate was 61.1 percent in 2024, and all three seasons are lower than his first four years. Instead of trending better, he has produced less and been less efficient.
He definitely didn't help the Pittsburgh Steelers after being dealt there in the 2025 offseason. He had 61 catches for a career-low 892 yards and six touchdowns, the second-lowest number of his career. But if anyone is to blame, it is DK Metcalf.
He asked the Seattle Seahawks to trade him after the 2024 season, and the team, knowing they didn't want to pay him as much as the receiver, though he should be paid, did move him to Pittsburgh. It was better to get rid of a player who wasn't nearly as good as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and his absence allowed JSN to thrive.
Even worse for the combustible Metcalf, his wishes when asking to be traded included going to a team with a better chance of winning a Super Bowl than Seattle had. Of course, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in the season that followed, buoyed by better team chemistry because Metcalf was no longer around.
Yet, Metcalf got the money he wanted from Seattle. The Steelers gave him an extension that pays him through 2029 and a potential total of $132 million. While the player likely laughs while looking at his bank account, the Steelers are probably fretting over the obvious mistake of overpaying Metcalf.
Add us as a preferred source on Google