DK Metcalf grew frustrated with the Seahawks, and the 49ers appear to have an important role in his subsequent trade.
The days of seeing wide receiver DK Metcalf face off against the San Francisco 49ers twice (potentially three) times a year seem to be over in the wake of the Seattle Seahawks trading him away to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason following his request to do so.
Of course, the Niners made it a point to get under the receiver's skin during games, especially cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who'd frequently follow with online jabs at the emotional pass catcher.
Yet those pokes weren't the real reason why Metcalf wanted out from under the Hawks.
The second-round draftee out of Mississippi revealed his desire to leave the Pacific Northwest stemmed from clashes with someone on Seattle's coaching staff at the time.
However, San Francisco did play a role in how things went down.
49ers played supporting role in DK Metcalf's trade request
Metcalf appeared on a recent episode of the Get Got Podcast with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson, covering an array of topics from his time with the Seahawks to the eventual trade out to Steel City.
At one point last season, though, Metcalf's tenuous relationship with the Hawks became fully fractured.
It was a game against the 49ers when then-Seattle offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called a pass play on 3rd-and-4.
"On that particular day, we were playing the 49ers," Metcalf described. "They got this DB I’ve been going against since he was – we came (into the NFL) together. On 3rd-and-4, we call all hitches. Like, that’s not running past him. He’s waiting on it. So, when he sat and knocked the ball down, I come to the sideline like, let me just get the headset. Maybe (Grubb) don’t need to hear it from (me) or he may have missed the text. So I said, 'Grubb, can we please run by these guys?'"
Metcalf later added both he and fellow wide receiver Tyler Lockett reached a frustration crescendo with Grubb that they no longer did any game planning with the coordinator.
The receiver never clarified who the defensive back was, and Lenoir joined the league in 2021, not in 2019 as Metcalf did.
Either way, it doesn't matter. Metcalf's frustrations with his offensive coordinator peaked at that moment, and the Niners played a role in making that happen.
Grubb's one-year tenure as Seattle's offensive coordinator ended in failure, and he returned to the collegiate ranks this offseason.
Metcalf, meanwhile, received his wish to be dealt.
In small part because of San Francisco.
