The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without top wide receiver DK Metcalf for their final two games of the regular season, as the NFL chose to suspend him following his highly publicized altercation with a fan Sunday in Detroit.
His actions now put both himself and the Steelers in a potentially dangerous spot as the season winds down. The offense has been surging as of late, and losing Metcalf certainly will make maintaining that momentum difficult against a talented Cleveland Browns defense in Week 17.
The Steelers are lucky that they managed to hold on to a 29-24 victory over the Lions in Week 16, as they now only need one more win or one more loss by the Baltimore Ravens to claim the AFC North crown. With any luck, the Green Bay Packers will end the Ravens' season before the Steelers even step onto the field in Week 17, but it's rarely that easy in this division.
Even if things do go the Steelers' way, and Metcalf's blunder doesn't hurt them this season, his actions have now put him in danger of not just missing two games but losing millions of dollars. Thanks to a clause in the $132 million contract he signed this offseason, his future with the Steelers could be far less secure than anyone could have predicted.
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf could potentially miss out on $45 million if his suspension is upheld
According to CBS's Jonathan Jones, Metcalf's suspension would void up to $45 million of his guaranteed money thanks to a clause that kicks in if he misses time for multiple reasons, including but not limited to league suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Obviously, his altercation with the fan in Detroit qualifies as such. If his appeal doesn't result in a complete reversal of the suspension, that would put him at risk of being released by the Steelers in the future without needing to be paid.
Jones notes that even his $25 million fully guaranteed salary for next season would be voided, although it's highly unlikely Pittsburgh would move off of him so soon. Despite not living up to his lofty salary in his first season in the Steel City, Metcalf is far and away their best wide receiver on the roster.
Even an incident like this one won't be enough for GM Omar Khan and the rest of the front office to consider moving on from him. If Metcalf fails to meet expectations in 2026, however, his voided guarantees would make him easy to cut or trade with no real salary cap consequences.
It's still more likely than not that Metcalf ends up earning his money regardless of how his suspension plays out, but the fact he is one disappointing season or major injury away from losing that much money can't feel good. No matter what the fan he interacted with may or may not have said to provoke him, I have to assume that he wishes cooler heads prevailed Sunday in Detroit.