Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has been hunting for a game-changing wide receiver for some time now.
That pursuit nearly landed San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk during training camp last season. However, that saga ended unceremoniously when the Niners backpedaled at the last minute and kept their star receiver after all.
Pittsburgh also sniffed around trades for Courtland Sutton, Davante Adams (before the Las Vegas Raiders dealt him to the New York Jets) and Christian Kirk (before he broke his collarbone). Ultimately, the Steelers pivoted and did their best at the trade deadline by acquiring Mike Williams. But despite catching the winning touchdown in his first game, Williams was never a significant part of the game plan.
The swings and misses left the Steelers searching for upgrades. Khan — who, true to his “Khan Artist” nickname, rarely tips his hand in interviews — was uncharacteristically transparent at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about the need for a receiver.
“It’s obviously a priority,” Khan said. “I’m not going to run from that. That’s just the reality. … We weren’t good enough at that position. We’ll look at everything.”
Sunday evening, with NFL free agency on the horizon, Khan and the Steelers finally reeled in their big fish, acquiring star receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks for a second-round pick. Pittsburgh locked up Metcalf long-term by agreeing to a five-year, $150 million deal that runs through the 2029 season, league sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Steelers acquire DK Metcalf from Seahawks, plan to sign him to $150M deal
Metcalf had requested a trade as he entered the final season of a three-year, $72 million extension signed in 2022. Now, he gets the new deal he coveted, and the Steelers get a marquee receiver.
At 27, Metcalf is still in his prime. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder remains one of the league’s most physically imposing figures, an ever-present deep threat with good hands and competitive fire. At $30 million annually, Metcalf becomes the highest-paid player on the Steelers’ roster, a philosophical departure in some ways for a team that has employed the NFL’s highest-paid defense for the past three seasons.
By adding a receiver of this stature, Khan swung the biggest trade since the Steelers acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019 for a package that included a first-round pick. If it works out, Metcalf’s acquisition could be even more significant based on his unique skill set, age and the position he plays.
It’s a big splash, no doubt, and the ripple effects could be nearly as significant. That’s especially true when it comes to the ongoing quarterback negotiations and mercurial receiver George Pickens’ future.
At the combine, Khan said he planned to get a quarterback in place first, then look for receivers who fit the passer. By changing the order of operations, there might be some benefit. The Steelers offense now looks a lot more appealing for the next quarterback, with a dynamic deep threat locked up for five seasons.
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Sunday afternoon, the Steelers’ decision-makers met at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the Southside to work through that process, hours from the window for free-agent quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson to negotiate with other teams (starting at noon ET on Monday).
Though team president and owner Art Rooney II said in January he hoped to re-sign Fields or Wilson, it’s become clear from team and league sources that Fields is the preferred option. The roadblock holding up a deal is that Fields has interest outside of Pittsburgh. The New York Jets, especially, are expected to make a push. At this point, after the Steelers benched Fields amid a 4-2 start to the season, why would he not explore all options and try to secure the best deal?
If an agreement with Fields fails to materialize, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could be an option. Russini reported Sunday that the Steelers are expected to extend an offer to the QB, who revitalized his career in 2024 by finishing top five in passing TDs (35) and yards (4,319) and sixth in passer rating (102.5).
The Steelers are expected to make an offer to pending free agent Sam Darnold, per source.
Many around the league believe Darnold will wind up in Seattle, but Pittsburgh is doing its due diligence on any potential options ahead of the new league year.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 9, 2025
At the same time, don’t shut the door on Wilson quite yet, especially after the Steelers brought in Metcalf. Wilson, who has said publicly he’d like to return to the Steelers, surely would be more intrigued by the possibilities with his former teammate and friend in Pittsburgh. The question is if or when the Steelers would decide Wilson is their best available (or best remaining) option in a market that also includes Aaron Rodgers, among others.
Beyond the QB dynamic, by trading for Metcalf, the Steelers have gained leverage regarding the future of Pickens, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Pickens has engaged in more on- and off-field antics than one can list in a single story. After defending the receiver repeatedly, coach Mike Tomlin finally acknowledged publicly that Pickens needed to “grow up” after he was flagged twice during a Week 13 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. In the next game in which he was active, Pickens responded by showing up late to the Christmas Day matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Steelers mailbag: What would George Pickens return in a trade? Who to blame for OL woes?
“I still think George has enough talent that we’ve got to try to work and see if we can get him to reach (and) fulfill the talent that he really has,” Rooney said after the season. “Who knows if we can get there? We’ll see.”
Khan echoed those sentiments during his interview with local media at the combine last month.
“I had a really solid exit meeting with GP,” Khan said. “I can tell you that he has a desire to be great. He has a desire to be great here. We have a desire for him to be great — and to be great here.”
Now, the Steelers have a proven alternative. Will they remain committed to Pickens? Or will they decide he’s not worth the trouble and get what they can in a trade?
Sure, if they want one of the NFL’s best big-play receiving corps, keeping Pickens and Metcalf together would make sense. The same is true if the Steelers want to assemble their most complete roster for 2025 and make a serious run at something substantial in the playoffs. Maybe they could convince Pickens to play out the final year of his rookie deal and prove he has grown up.
The issue is they might not be the ones making that decision. Just 2 1/2 years ago, Diontae Johnson was entering the final year of his rookie deal. After “holding in” at training camp, he was rewarded with a handsome contract extension. He never saw the end of it before the Steelers shipped him out of town, beginning one of the longest and strangest seasons in recent memory. Others, like Aiyuk, have followed a similar script by sitting out in camp to secure guaranteed money early.
So Pickens has the playbook. But now with Metcalf on board, the Steelers get to call the plays.
(Photos of DK Metcalf, left, and George Pickens: Steph Chambers, Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
