Nobody should be surprised to see T.J. Watt absent from the start of Organized Team Activities. The superstar edge rusher is seeking a new contract extension, and his agent isn't about to let him go out there without future financial insurance. However, DK Metcalf's absence from the Pittsburgh Steelers' OTAs took us by surprise.
On Tuesday, videos surfaced on social media of Steelers players at work in positional drills during the first OTA practice. Metcalf was nowhere to be found.
Metcalf is a veteran and a Pro Bowler in his own right, but the Steelers recently handed him a five-year, $150 million contract extension that includes $30 million per year in new money average, $30 million guaranteed at signing, and a $25 million guaranteed salary in 2026. We would have assumed that his financial appeasement would have come with participation in voluntary workouts. It did not.
Despite becoming the richest wide receiver in Pittsburgh Steelers history before ever taking a snap with the team, Metcalf is already absent from the first big full-team activity of the offseason. This isn't a big deal, but it's also not the start of his tenure that we wanted to see.
There's no doubt the team's number one wide receiver will be around his teammates soon enough, but with an offense desperate for a spark, we'd love for Metcalf to have as much time as possible to get acclimated to his new team as possible.
DK Metcalf's decision to sit out from Steelers' OTAs might be for the best
With just a few months to prep for an all-important 2025 season, Pittsburgh Steelers fans want to see DK Metcalf operate as a veteran leader and put in the work with his team. At the same time, we could argue that missing OTAs might be a sneaky safe choice for a team desperately lacking elite options in the passing game.
With George Pickens traded to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers find themselves in the same dilemma they were in last year. If Metcalf were to go down for the season, Pittsburgh would be forced to rely on a deplorable receiving room comprised of Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, and Robert Woods.
How far would that get a team looking to snap an eight-year drought without a playoff win?
If Aaron Rodgers ends up signing with the Steelers, that means Metcalf's quarterback isn't even in town yet. It wouldn't hurt to start building chemistry with Mason Rudolph, but if we're being honest with ourselves, this offense isn't going to stand much of a shot to compete if Rudolph is deployed as the starter this season, whether Metcalf is there or not.
It's only OTAs. We need to remember that. Metcalf has no reason to operate a hold-in, and the talented wide receiver will show up soon enough.