Steelers send DK Metcalf packing and receive very little in return during Fox Sports’ mock trade scenario ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
NFL analyst Ralph Vacchiano has proposed a trade that makes very little sense from the Steelers’ perspective ahead of the NFL Draft.
The NFL Draft is next week, and the league is buzzing with rumors, gossip, and hearsay about where the top prospects in the class will go. But what’s often forgotten about in the lead-up to the draft is that the weekend can often spur some of the biggest trades of the year.
I mean, who can forget when the Tennessee Titans sent star WR AJ Brown packing during the draft, netting a pick from the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, Ralph Vacchiano, of Fox Sports, has proposed the Pittsburgh Steelers take a similar route with their star WR, and man, does it fall flat.
Fox Sports proposes that the Commanders trade for DK Metcalf during 2026 NFL Draft
Trade proposal: Steelers receive 2026 third-round pick (71st), 2027 fifth-round pick, Commanders receive DK Metcalf.
“The idea of the Steelers trading him all depends on what happens with Aaron Rodgers, and whether Pittsburgh goes for it all in 2026 or goes into a rebuilding mode. They did just trade for Michael Pittman, so their cupboard wouldn’t be bare without Metcalf. And Metcalf was a bit of a disappointment last season with just 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns as Rodgers struggled to find him downfield.”
“He’d have better luck with the younger, stronger Jayden Daniels throwing him the ball. And the Commanders are desperate for a WR opposite Terry McLaurin. Metcalf cost the Steelers a second-round pick. But after a down year, and with three years and more than $100 million left on his contract, something less would do.” – Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports
A DK Metcalf trade would be a George Pickens scenario all over again
If you think back to this time a year ago, there were similar, but much louder rumblings about the Steelers offloading George Pickens. Pickens had run his course in Pittsburgh from a character perspective, and eventually, the Steelers did move on from him, but one could argue they botched the transaction.
Instead of receiving 2025 draft capital, the Steelers traded Pickens to the Cowboys after the draft and have a third-round pick in next week’s event to show for it. So they played all of 2025 with one viable WR, and look where it got them.
This scenario would be a repeat of that, in my opinion, and that’s a road this team should never travel again.
