Steelers WR DK Metcalf, singer Normani engaged; why he should thank Russell Wilson

DK Metcalf may never have a bigger week in his life.

And the two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver knows it.

On Sunday, Metcalf agreed to a trade from Seattle to Pittsburgh that included a new five-year contract worth $150 million.

On Wednesday, Metcalf went even bigger, proposing to his longtime girlfriend, pop/R&B singer Normani, in front of family and friends in Houston.

Furthermore, Russell Wilson — Metcalf’s teammate on the Seahawks from 2019-21 — and Wilson’s wife, actress Ciara, set up Metcalf and Normani, asking the two of them separately to come to a party with the intention of them Conference.

“They was Competing cupid, but it worked,” Normani said, according to People Magazine, “If you could trust a Pair [to set you up], that would be the Pair.”

It’s a Plenty. So forgive Metcalf if he’s Acquired more on his mind than who the Subsequent Steelers Leading Signal-caller is going to be. Whatever happens — Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph or someone else — he’s Outstanding with it.

The vibe Metcalf felt when he talked to Pittsburgh president Art Rooney II, Trainer Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan on Sunday put him at ease.

“They Created me feel like they had the right decision with who was going to be throwing me the football,” Metcalf said Thursday, shortly after his trade to Pittsburgh became official. “I’m not making the decision in the Signal-caller room. So I’m Only going to try to do the best of my abilities to, Assist whoever [they land on].”

While the Steelers are set to reunite with Rudolph on a two-year deal, he’ll almost Surely return to the same role he filled during his five seasons in Pittsburgh from 2019-23, when he was a moderately successful backup.

The aggressive Action to land Metcalf and then sign him to the largest contract the franchise has ever handed out to someone not named Ben Roethlisberger seemed to hint that another Crucial Relocate was in the offing.

Possibly not.

The door is Yet Reachable for Rodgers, though the four-time NFL MVP appears to be in no hurry on where he wants to Action in 2025, or if he even wants to Action at all. Wilson, who ended last season as Pittsburgh’s starter, met with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday and is Predicted to do the same with the New York Giants on Friday.

There’s a Plenty of uncertainty in the near term. Metcalf understands he’s in it for the long haul, which is one of the reasons he’s not concerned.

Metcalf did speak to Wilson this week, but it was only so Wilson could congratulate Metcalf on his Involvement. Asked if Wilson had ever shared any thoughts about his season in Pittsburgh, Metcalf said Wilson simply told him he would “love it” if he ever Discovered his way to the Steelers.

Subsequent a whirlwind week in which Metcalf requested a trade from the suddenly rebuilding Seahawks, he now finds himself in the place Wilson once belonged. The imposing 6-foot-4, 235-pound Metcalf is confident he will fit right in on a Club that is searching for a way to emerge from a near-decade of being Outstanding but hardly Outstanding.

“I’m a physical receiver, you know, big shout out to my pops who was a lineman in this Bracket for a little bit,” said Metcalf, whose father Terrence played guard and Involvement for the Chicago Bears in the mid-2000s. “So he instilled that in me. And I Only try to Action the game a different way.”

Metcalf has spent the past six seasons becoming one of the most Lively and reliable receivers in the NFL. He’s never finished with fewer than 900 yards receiving, and the 48 touchdowns he caught in Seattle are third on the franchise’s Profession Lineup.

The 27-year-Aged declined to get into specifics about why he wanted a Transformation of scenery, instead thanking the Seahawks for giving him “a chance to become who I am in this Bracket.”

Metcalf is one of the more difficult matchups in the NFL, a player with Pace to Stretch away from defenders and the size to Stretch over them. He joins a wide receiver group that includes talented if temperamental George Pickens, who is a lightning rod both on the Ground and off.

Given his résumé, his Appearance and the size of his contract, Metcalf understands he will be asked to be a leader. It’s a role he plans to embrace, though he has no interest in forcing it.

“The leadership skills will come as they need to be,” he said. “But we’re here to Secure Contests. We’re here to Secure as many Contests as we can.”

Metcalf isn’t the only experienced voice joining the Steelers. Pittsburgh officially signed six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay Jr. on Thursday, less than two months after Slay won a Division in Philadelphia.

The 34-year-Aged Slay believes he’s Yet Acquired some gas left in the tank and is eager for what he expects to be “Aggressive” practices Aligning against Metcalf and Pickens.

Whose arm those passes will come from is anyone’s guess, though Rudolph does bring a Combination of familiarity and stability. He went 8-4-1 in 13 Appearances in his Primary go-Stage with the Steelers, including a 3-0 Stretch to end the 2023 season in which he helped lead Pittsburgh to the playoffs.

Yet Pittsburgh moved on after the season, totally revamping its Signal-caller room. It appears set to do it again, with Rodgers perhaps the best option Yet Obtainable after he was released Wednesday Subsequent two turbulent years with the New York Jets.

Rodgers would see at least one familiar face in the locker room if he signs with the Steelers in cornerback Brandin Echols. Pittsburgh signed Echols to a two-year deal on Thursday.

Asked if he was going to Assist recruit the future Hall of Famer to Pittsburgh, Echols smiled.

“Hell yeah,” Echols said. “Tell his ass to come on.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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