The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the offseason on a mission to find an offensive playmaker. The Steelers were able to land DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, finally adding a WR1 opposite George Pickens. Once Metcalf was in Pittsburgh the team signed him to a five-year, $150 million extension.
However, in the NFL, contracts are never quite what they seem. And once the guaranteed money runs out, the deal will only last as long as the team allows it to.
In Metcalf’s contract, the final year is quite expensive as he’s due a $30.5 million base salary in 2029 as well as a $5 million offseason roster bonus, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
If the Steelers decide not to pay Metcalf $35.5 million for his age-31 season, his new deal is actually a four-year, $114.5 million contract, Florio notes.
All of Metcalf’s guaranteed money comes in the first two years. He got $60 million fully guaranteed from the Steelers. That comes in the form of a $30 million signing bonus, a $5 million base salary for 2025 and a $25 million salary for 2026. So, at a minimum, Metcalf has a two-year, $60 million contract. Anything beyond that is entirely up in the air.
The Steelers have flexibility with DK Metcalf’s new contract
Related Pittsburgh Steelers NewsArticle continues below
After requesting a trade this offseason, Metcalf made it clear he wanted a new deal that paid him like a top receiver. On paper, he got that from the Steelers as the average annual value of his new contract is $33 million, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
The $33 million AAV is behind only Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million), Justin Jefferson ($35 million) and CeeDee Lamb ($34 million), per Spotrac. But if the Steelers opt to knock off the final year of the new deal Metcalf signed, his AAV drops to $28.625 million, which would rank 10th in the league.
Based on his performance or team needs, Pittsburgh can turn Metcalf’s contract into a three-year, $86.5 million deal. That would come out to an AAV of $28.83 million.
As with all NFL contracts that don’t involve Deshaun Watson, players won’t necessarily make the money reported in the initial deal. But for at least the next two seasons, the Steelers have a key offensive piece after landing Metcalf.
In 2024, Pittsburgh’s second-leading receiver was tight end Pat Freiermuth, who had 65 receptions for 653 yards. In six seasons, Metcalf has never had less than 900 receiving yards and he’s never played fewer than 15 games. And at 27, the two-time Pro Bowler is in the middle of his prime.
Now the Steelers just need to find a quarterback to throw him the ball. Pittsburgh has a standing offer for Aaron Rodgers. But the team continues to wait for the future Hall of Famer to decide if/where he wants to play in 2025.
