The turnover in the Pacific Northwest continues as the Seattle Seahawks shipped off another offensive weapon ahead of the start of NFL free agency. The Seahawks agreed to a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to send the two-time Pro Bowl WR to the Steel City.
With Pittsburgh and Metcalf already agreeing to a new contract moments after the trade was announced, let’s take a look at the WR’s contract, salary, and career earnings following the blockbuster trade.
WR DK Metcalf Heading to the Steel City in Blockbuster Trade
On a day filled with head-turning moves, the Seahawks and Steelers added another shocker on March 9. After cutting WR Tyler Lockett and sending QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle wasn’t done reshaping its roster, sending Metcalf to the Steelers for a 2025 second-round and swap of sixth and seventh-round selections.
More Seahawks trades: Seattle is sending two-time Pro-Bowl WR DK Metcalf to the Steelers, per sources.
Seattle now has traded QB Geno Smith to the Raiders, and WR Metcalf to the Steelers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2025
While a target of trade rumors for quite some time, the move doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Seahawks’ 2019 second-round pick officially requested a trade earlier this offseason. While PFSN’s Sterling Xie projected Pittsburgh to acquire Smith through a trade to strengthen the quarterback room, they chose to bolster the WR group instead, with the Raiders beating them to the punch.
Metcalf will have an $18 million cap hit for the Steelers in 2025; the Seahawks will take on $21 million in dead cap while also creating $10.8 million in cap space. He now teams up with George Pickens and Calvin Austin III as the Steelers WR trio.
The move is huge as the Steelers have been stuck in an offensive limbo since the departure of franchise cornerstone Ben Roethlisberger. While there are still no answers for who will be starting under center when the 2025 season rolls around, Pittsburgh seems determined to make sure that the signal-caller is set up with a solid group of weapons to get this offense over the hill.
Shortly after the blockbuster trade was announced, Metcalf and the Steelers agreed to a brand new contract. Let’s examine the numbers.
Metcalf’s Contract, Salary, and Career Earnings
Shortly after the trade between Seattle and Pittsburgh was announced, the Steelers signed Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract. The new deal raises the average annual value (AAV) of his contract from $24 million to $30 million. He is now the third-highest-paid receiver in the NFL in terms of AAV.
A new deal for DK Metcalf: Steelers are signing their new wide receiver to a five-year, $150 million contract, per sources. pic.twitter.com/NIP1NIXQcn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2025
Through six years in the NFL, Metcalf has hauled in $61,685,679 in career earnings. In addition to his NFL salary, the brand-new Steelers WR has several endorsement deals as well. He enjoys partnerships with companies like Gatorade, Nestle Nesquik, and Volcanica Coffee, among others.