When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded with the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf, fans were excited to land a quality skill player. However, the move was also met with plenty of backlash, and I was one of the biggest critics. Giving up a second-round pick for Metcalf only to turn around and hand him a four-year, $131.9 million deal was a double-gut punch that cost the Steelers high draft capital and a top-five contract among all NFL receivers.
Though Metcalf is a quality player who has averaged over 1,000 yards per season over his first six years in the league, he's nowhere near a top-five player at his position. Unfortunately, this is what the market demanded. But after the latest lucrative contract extension, we don't have much to gripe about.
On Monday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter announced that the New York Jets have reached an agreement with wide receiver Garrett Wilson on a new deal that makes him one of the richest receivers in NFL history.
"Jets and wide receiver Garrett Wilson reached agreement on a four-year, $130 million contract extension that includes $90 million guaranteed," Schefter announced on X. "It marks the first time in NFL history that a receiver has received an average over $31 million after playing only three seasons. Wilson now will be under contract the next six seasons, through 2030. Agents Jeff Nalley and Graylan Crain of CAA negotiated the deal with Jets executives Nick Sabella and Darren Mougey."
Garrett made history with his massive contract extension, and his $31 million per season already topped players like Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, per Over the Cap. This new money average is similar to what the Steelers recently dished out to Metcalf, and when you look at the going rate of good wide receivers, Pittsburgh's front office is hardly the only team making heavy investments.
Like Metcalf, Wilson's contract numbers came close to what superstars like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb received on their lucrative deals last offseason, though we know Wilson isn't on par with the very best receivers in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can finally feel justified with DK Metcalf's contract extension after the Garrett Wilson deal
The market is changing rapidly, and the Pittsburgh Steelers now feel more justified than ever for handing DK Metcalf a massive contract.
Wilson has only played three seasons in the NFL, and he's narrowly topped 1,000 yards in each year. Over this span, the former 2022 first-round pick has collected just 14 touchdowns on 469 targets while earning an underwhelming 48.4 percent success rate and a pedestrian 6.9 yards per target. Meanwhile, Jets' quarterbacks have recorded a dismal passer rating of just 79.8 when targeting Wilson.
Of course, many of these numbers are largely tied to the quarterback, and much of this is out of Wilson's control. But despite his lack of efficiency, he still became the first wide receiver in NFL history to earn $31 million per season after just three years in the league.
On the other hand, Metcalf has similar production over the past three seasons (3,154 yards and 19 touchdowns), but he did this on significantly fewer targets (368 compared to 469). Likewise, Metcalf has been far more efficient, averaging 8.5 yards per target and aiding his quarterbacks to a 93.5 passer rating when targeted during this span.
I would argue that both DK Metcalf and Garrett Wilson are overpaid, and their contracts shouldn't be so close to the truly elite NFL wide receivers. However, we know what the market looks like and how quickly it's rising. A year or two from now, it might even look like the Pittsburgh Steelers got a discount on Metcalf's contract extension.
