Steelers snuck a clause in DK Metcalf’s contract that could come back to bite him if NFL upholds his season-ending suspension
DK Metcalf might be saying bye to a lot of money.
DK Metcalf is slated to lose over $500,000 after the NFL hit the Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver with a two-game suspension for his altercation with a Detroit Lions fan during Sunday’s 29-24 win at Ford Field.
While you never want to forfeit game checks and over half a million dollars is nothing to sneeze at, sitting out the last two games of the season may be the least of Metcalf’s concerns when you read that Metcalf is an injury away from losing millions of dollars in guaranteed salary.
DK Metcalf voids $45m in guarantees following a two-game suspension from the NFL
“His four-year, $132 million contract from March, reviewed by CBS Sports, notes that if he “fails… to practice or play with the Club for any reason,” which includes “Player’s suspension by the NFL or Club for Conduct Detrimental,” his guarantees “will be NULL AND VOID,” wrote CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones on Monday night.
“Metcalf’s 2026 salary of $25 million was previously fully guaranteed. Should he be suspended at least one game, that guarantee will void. The voided guarantees are more important in 2027 when $20 million in salary has been injury-protected. If Metcalf suffered a major injury in the 2026 season that kept him from passing a physical in March 2027, he would be guaranteed $20 million for that upcoming season. If the suspension holds, that guarantee goes away — which would give the Steelers a potential financial out after two seasons should they wish or need to use it.”
No matter who’s side you were on in this debacle, Metcalf’s actions have created a world that no NFL player ever wants to live in. Of course, it would be up to the Steelers, one of the most loyal and player-friendly organizations in the league to withhold the guarantees if said injury did occur, but the franchise has the legal right to do so if need be.
For someone as talented as Metcalf and with that kind of contract in his back pocket, these are the mistakes that you simply can’t have. Now, not only are the Steelers down their best offensive player the last two weeks, but Metcalf, God forbid, is an injury away from losing the money he worked so hard to attain.
Losing that for a fan who isn’t worth wasting your breath on is an act that Metcalf probably wishes he had back. For his sake, we hope that we never see the Steelers have to make such a decision.
Pittsburgh Steelers News
DK Metcalf reveals what caused him to start physical altercation with Lions fan who lured him away from Steelers’ sideline
DK Metcalf and the Lions fan tell a very different story regarding Sunday’s altercation in Detroit.
