The Pittsburgh Steelers got their much-anticipated offseason overhaul started with a bang on Sunday evening, as word broke that the team had acquired dynamic wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a second-round pick and a swap of sixth- and seventh-rounders. The trade also comes with a fat new contract for Metcalf, who's in line to make some $150 million over the next five years.
Pittsburgh entered this offseason determined to shake things up — especially at wide receiver, where the Steelers were desperate to add talent around the explosive but mercurial George Pickens. Metcalf certainly qualifies: He's put up a combined 2,106 yards over the past two seasons at nearly 16 yards per catch, and he's still smack in his prime having just turned 27 this past December.
So the Steelers have found Pickens his running mate, and checked a very big box before NFL free agency technically even begins. But many, many questions still remain, and the addition of Metcalf would seem to put the writing on the wall for several Steelers.
3. WR Van Jefferson
This seemed obvious even before Metcalf was brought aboard, and it's more or less a done deal now. Pittsburgh gave Jefferson every opportunity to emerge as a legitimate WR2 opposite Pickens, but things just never seemed to click, underscoring just how badly Omar Khan failed to pivot after missing out on landing Brandon Aiyuk last offseason.
Jefferson is set to hit free agency this spring, and while you'd figure that he'll at least get a shot on a one-year deal somewhere, it certainly won't be in Pittsburgh.
2. RB Najee Harris
The Steelers were going to be hard-pressed to pay up enough to keep Harris at it is. Now that they've got a massive deal for Metcalf added to the books, that's even less likely. If Harris came cheap, you could make the argument for Pittsburgh bringing him back; as much as he hasn't endeared himself to the fan base at times due to his lack of explosiveness, his dependability and ability absorb huge volume while at least keeping things churning are real skills. But it's hard to envision a world in which someone doesn't step up to give him a multi-year contract in free agency, and if that does in fact happen, Pittsburgh should be content to move on with Jaylen Samuels and maybe a selection from a loaded draft class.
1. QB Justin Fields
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported earlier Sunday that the Steelers had interest in a reunion with Fields, but after adding Metcalf to an offense that already featured a vertical receiver in Pickens, doesn't it just feel like Pittsburgh is set on building an offense around Russell Wilson's specific (and, at this point, limited) skills?
Both Pickens and Metcalf are going to do their damage down the field and outside the numbers, which is where Wilson loves to operate at this stage of his career. He's come by that moonball moniker honestly, and if you were to design a receiver duo in a lab to play into those strengths, it'd look a lot like the one the Steelers have assembled in real life. Maybe Pittsburgh is willing to run it back with the same duo it had last year, but most likely Fields will be looking for a change of scenery.