Many within the NFL community were surprised to learn in March that the Pittsburgh Steelers had agreed to acquire wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and then handed him a five-year, $150M contract extension.
It turns out Metcalf was hoping either the Houston Texans or Los Angeles Chargers would get a deal done with Seattle before he ended up in Pittsburgh.
"Metcalf's preferred landing spots, according to multiple sources familiar with the trade talks, were the Texans and Chargers," ESPN's Brady Henderson shared in a piece published Tuesday evening. "But his contract situation complicated the matter, as it meant the Seahawks had to find a trade partner that would not only give them enough compensation in return but also be willing and able to sign Metcalf to a new deal. The Patriots were interested in trading for Metcalf, but he effectively nixed that possibility by making it known that he didn't want to go to New England, according to a source familiar with the discussions."
It was previously reported that Metcalf didn't want to commit his future to the Patriots. Additionally, it makes sense that he would've viewed the Texans and Chargers as better situations than what the Steelers could've offered in early March. While Houston and Los Angeles have promising young quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert, respectively, Pittsburgh is currently on track to start longtime backup Mason Rudolph in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
With that said, Metcalf recently worked out with Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers wait for Rodgers to confirm his intentions for the upcoming campaign. Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II seems confident that Rodgers and Metcalf will share a locker room this fall, but the future Hall of Famer could either end up with the Minnesota Vikings or retire.
Interestingly, Henderson added in Tuesday's update that Metcalf "had requested trades multiple times in recent offseasons." Seattle made the 27-year-old a second-round pick during the 2019 NFL Draft, years before the club traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in March 2022 and before the Seahawks pushed head coach Pete Carroll into an advisor role after the 2023 season.
Perhaps Wilson was whispering in Metcalf's ear about leaving Seattle earlier than some originally thought.
