When your favorite team trades for a high-profile player and two-time Pro Bowler like DK Metcalf, it's not hard for fans to get excited. The Pittsburgh Steelers sent a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the talented receiver during the 2025 offseason. This move was accompanied by an expected contract extension. Unfortunately, Metcalf's contract is already being labeled as the worst on the team.
Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone recently wrote an article on every team's worst contract heading into the 2025 season. For the Steelers, Scataglia pointed to Metcalf's deal.
"While I am higher on DK Metcalf than a lot of people, it just feels like he's outside that top tier of wide receivers in the NFL," Scataglia wrote. "Some have called out Metcalf over the years for getting lazy with his route-running at times. Despite that, he has still been quite productive, but his current contract is paying him $33 million per year, which is a bit rich in the eyes of many."
It's not hard to see where he's coming from. Metcalf signed a four-year, $131,999529 extension with Pittsburgh after being traded to the Steelers. This included over $60 million in guarantees. At roughly $33 million per season, Metcalf is the fourth-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, in terms of average annual value.
But there's an issue: Metcalf isn't anywhere near a top-four receiver in the league. Most would argue that he's in the top 10, or even the top 15.
The Pittsburgh Steelers overpaid to get a stable offensive weapon in DK Metcalf
There's really no way around it: the Pittsburgh Steelers overpaid for DK Metcalf. Not only was Omar Khan and the front office forced to surrender the 52nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they were also forced to turn around and hand their new wide receiver a lucrative new contract extension.
Unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures. Now it's up to Metcalf to prove that he's worth the contract he signed this offseason.
When it comes to which player has the worst contract on the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's hard to argue that it's not Metcalf. Though he hasn't yet played a snap on his new team, he signed one of the largest contracts in Steelers history. This came despite grading out as the 35th-ranked wide receiver in the NFL in 2024, according to PFF, and earning a grade that never ranked within the top 14 in the NFL among wide receivers.
The only other player who could seriously be in contention for the worst contract on the Steelers' roster would be Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former All-Pro safety has lofty cap numbers exceeding $22 million in each of the next two seasons despite earning just one interception over the past two seasons.
Here's the good news: while DK Metcalf's contract looks cringeworthy right now, it could end up looking like a respectable deal in a year or two with the ever-changing landscape of the NFL salary cap. Still, there's no doubt a receiver-needy Pittsburgh Steelers team overpaid to find the answers they've been searching for.