How ESPN Graded Steelers’ Jaw-Dropping Trade For DK Metcalf

The Pittsburgh Steelers emphatically checked an item off their offseason to-do list Sunday, reportedly agreeing to acquire wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Steelers sent a 2025 second-round pick to the Seahawks in the trade, which reportedly also includes the teams swapping picks in the sixth and seventh rounds of this year’s draft.

Metcalf reportedly agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract extension with Pittsburgh.

ESPN graded the Metcalf trade and gave Pittsburgh a “B” for its work.

“Metcalf is coming off a down season in which his yards per route run dipped to 1.9, his lowest mark since his 2019 rookie season (though not by much). He has hovered between 1.8 and 2.3 yards per route in every year of his career,” ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder wrote. “I think it’s a reasonable time to buy the dip. Metcalf’s open score via ESPN’s receiver scores dropped to 63 in 2024, his lowest since his rookie season and a small drop-off from previous years. Where he really fell off was in his catch and YAC scores (21 and 38, respectively — both career lows). But those tend to be more variant from year to year, and the fact that Metcalf was still getting open at a decent rate last season and is only 27 years old gives me confidence going forward.”

Of course, the situation is complicated to some extent by Pittsburgh’s uncertainty at quarterback. Who will throw Metcalf — and fellow stud wideout George Pickens — the ball in 2025?

The Steelers chose to act aggressively, though, jumping at the chance to add a legitimate playmaker at a reasonable cost. Metcalf, a second-round pick in 2019, earned two Pro Bowl selections in six seasons with the Seahawks.

“Considering Metcalf’s relative youth, a second-round pick feels reasonable,” Walder wrote. “He agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension as part of the trade, and a deal worth $30 million per year is perfectly fine. In fact, after adjusting for cap inflation, that’s a cheaper per-year average than Metcalf’s last deal in 2022. The Steelers had to give up a draft pick worth significant surplus value for the right to pay Metcalf in this case, though you have to consider the lack of alternatives if they wanted to add a wide receiver. Chris Godwin — arguably the top free agent receiver — is older, is coming off an injury and might make almost as much as Metcalf.”

ESPN gave the Seahawks a “C-plus” for the trade, though it’s important to note that mark came down before the official start of NFL free agency. Plenty could change in the coming days, weeks and months.