The Pittsburgh Steelers made one of the moves of the offseason back in March when they traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf. Pittsburgh immediately gave Metcalf a four-year, $132 million extension, keeping him in a Steelers uniform through the 2029 season.

And while it’s a consensus thought that Metcalf is an upgrade over George Pickens, Bill Barnwell of ESPN questions how much better they will be because of No. 4.

“Are the Steelers different? Yes,” Barnwell writes. “Are they better? Maybe a tiny bit. DK Metcalf is certainly a more reliable option than the now-departed George Pickens as the lead receiver, but after Metcalf’s 1,303-yard season in 2020, he has averaged 1,030 yards per campaign and right above 2.0 yards per route run, producing at about the same rate as Michael Pittman Jr. and Amari Cooper. Those are good wideouts, but there’s a perception that Metcalf’s upside from 2020 looks more like a career outlier than a realistic expectation of what he’s likely to do going forward.”

It was clear that Metcalf took a step back in 2024 under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who left Seattle after one year to become the new offensive coordinator at Alabama. His 992 yards were the second-fewest of his career, and his five touchdowns were the lowest of his career. Hopefully a new start with Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers reignites the once-hot fuse that Metcalf had back in 2023 when he averaged over 16 yards per catch.