If you’re reading this, you have the same amount of games with more than 50 receiving yards this season than Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. The only difference being is that I assume you aren’t making $33 million per yer.
The Steelers acquired Metcalf last March in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. He was given a four-year, $132 million extension shortly after being acquired, and through a full 17 games played, he hasn’t come close to living up to that lofty price tag.
In 17 games as
a Steeler, Metcalf has caught 67 passes for 917 yards and six touchdowns. In 2025, he ranked 47th in EPA per target, per Sumer Sports. Entering Week 2, he ranked 57th dating back to the beginning of last season in that same stat, behind the likes of Brandin Cooks, Kalif Raymond, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. In terms of success rate when targeted, Metcalf is 89th dating back to last season despite ranking 22nd in target share. If we’re just focusing on this young season alone, he was 89th in EPA per target (min. 10 routes run) going into Week 2 – that ranking will drop considerably after Sunday’s performance.
It would be one thing if Metcalf had a high rate of catching deep balls with that being a big reason why his success rate was so low, but that’s not the case. His average depth of target since he became a Steeler is 7.21 yards – that ranks 121st in the NFL. Yet, despite such a low average depth of target, Metcalf ranks 101st in reception percentage. And just in case you were wondering how poorly he’s been at separating, he’s averaging less than two yards of separation thus far in 2026, and averaged only 2.6 yards of separation in 2025.
For the money Metcalf is making, the production – or lack thereof – is inexcusable. He has eight receptions for 67 yards in the first two games of the year, putting him at roughly $29,000 per yard if we break his contract down on a per game basis. He’s not just been bad, he’s been a net negative for the Steelers and borderline unplayable. And if it becomes a season-long issue, it’s not as if the Steelers can just cut him, at least not without it coming at a big cost. They’d eat $49 million in dead cap in 2027 should they release him, but the fact that we’re having this discussion just two weeks into the season speaks volumes.
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