Steelers' DK Metcalf Had Clear Reason For Choosing Pittsburgh During 2025 Offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a much different team in 2025 than they were in 2024, and a lot of that has to do with major changes on the roster. The defensive backfield looks completely different with Minkah Fitzpatrick being shipped off to the Miami Dolphins and Jalen Ramsey coming to Pittsburgh. The quarterback position changed once again with Aaron Rodgers coming in to be the starter for the 2025 season, and his top target is DK Metcalf, rather than George Pickens after the organization made a pair of trades at wide receiver. Metcalf has had a good season for Pittsburgh, despite his lack of targets at times.

Pittsburgh acquired Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as well as a late-round pick swap. This was an exciting deal as fans in Pittsburgh had been waiting for a trade of this magnitude at the receiver position, and the organization signed Metcalf to a five-year extension after the trade was completed. The wide receiver had to be traded, but Seattle also allowed him to have some say in where he wound up. He recently joined teammate Christian Kuntz on the Christian Kuntz Podcast, where he spoke about why he chose Pittsburgh.

"I mean, y'all make the playoffs every year," Metcalf said. "I'm not used to that. Win, lose, draw, I don't care, y'all are doing something right during the regular season to make it that far. Coach Tomlin played a part in it. They said they had the quarterback situation figured out, which they 100 percent did. Then, with the roster. Y'all got TJ Watt, later added Jalen Ramsey, I mean Joey Porter, y'all got Cam Heyward. It was a great team. I think it was just my time was up in Seattle, with the GM and everything that transpired."

The reason Metcalf chose to come to Pittsburgh is the same reason that the fan base often gets so frustrated with the team. Pittsburgh is consistently just good enough to sneak into the postseason, where the team then ultimately gets beat in the first round. Pittsburgh has not advanced in the playoffs in nearly a decade, but that didn't turn Metcalf away, it actually attracted him to the organization.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin was another reason that Metcalf chose to join the Black and Gold. This is a common thing for free agent additions or trade targets to say when joining the Steelers. Many players in the league would love the chance to play for Tomlin, even though the fan base likes to put him on the hot seat at least once a season.

The organization was able to assure Metcalf that the quarterback situation would be taken care of, which probably means that the franchise had known that Rodgers intended to sign well before the four-time MVP actually put pen to paper. Metcalf and Rodgers had a throwing session together at UCLA during the 2025 offseason prior to Rodgers signing with the team, and that was an obvious sign that the quarterback was coming to town.

Steelers' Defense Drove DK Metcalf To Come To Pittsburgh

Metcalf was traded, but he did have sort of say when it came to where he would land due to the fact that he needed a new contract. The defense in Pittsburgh helped make that happen as he liked the idea of playing on the same team as TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Joey Porter Jr. 

It was also interesting to hear Metcalf lump Porter in with Watt and Heyward, which shows just how good the cornerback has been in his young career thus far.

What do you think about Metcalf's reasons for coming to Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!

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