The Pittsburgh Steelers added wide receiver DK Metcalf via a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2025, hoping to create more support around quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, Metcalf has been struggling this season, making just 32 receptions for 374 yards across seven games. Analysts noted that the wide receiver’s struggles seemed to be emanating from a disconnect between him and Rodgers. One former Steelers player believed the problem lay in a difference in offensive approach rather than with Metcalf’s caliber.
On the October 28 segment of NFL on ESPN, former Steelers wide receiver and ESPN analyst Adam Thielen explained that Rodgers and Metcalf not being on the same page stemmed from their expectations regarding what a wide receiver’s role looked like.
“What Aaron likes is he likes to have guys just line up and play football. We’re not going to move him around. We’re not going to put him in the slot. We’re not going to motion him. We just want to line up and go win,” Thielin said. “DK is not that guy. He’s not a guy you just put out there at the X and it’s third and five and you go win, right? And you’re seeing that on the tape.
“You’re seeing that he’s looking for him [Rodgers]. He wants him, but he’s not open. And that’s okay. Some guys just aren’t that guy. You got to be able to move them around. You got to be able to put them in stacks. You got to be able to motion them. But he’s not that guy right now in this offense.”
As a veteran quarterback playing his 22nd season in the NFL, Rodgers’ offensive schemes are traditional through and through. But Metcalf, who is significantly younger, does not fit into the blueprint of a traditional, hyper-precise receiver who thrives solely by winning isolated, static routes against tight coverage.
Thielen pointed to the Steelers’ game tapes, noting that Rodgers was having trouble finding openings to throw to Metcalf, which explains why he only targeted the wide receiver 58 times out of the QB’s 263 attempts across seven games. But at 6’4” and weighing 235 pounds, WR DK Metcalf has elite linear speed but experiences more stiffness and lower initial acceleration than smaller, more agile wide receivers. Remaining in motion helps with his momentum and allows him to pick up speed more quickly.
The former Steelers player believed that the secret lay in why Rodgers preferred his targets to be stationary.
“It gives him [Rodgers] the ability to make checks at the line of scrimmage. If you’re [in] motion, you’re shifting, you’re moving guys around, it’s hard to make those adjustments, right? It’s hard to signal out at the last second and change the route. So, he wants to be able to see something quickly, change it, and get you open,” Thielen explained. “It’s a blessing as a receiver when a quarterback sees something, gets one-on-one coverage, and you can get open based off the adjustment. So, they just have to get on the same page.”
Former quarterback Dan Orlovsky also pointed out that Rodgers wanted Metcalf to remain where he wanted so he could make those adjustments and throw the ball where it needed to be. Thielen agreed, adding that when the QB didn’t see the separation he wanted, he simply chose to not throw the ball to Metcalf.
Is DK Metcalf Simply Not the Right Choice for the Steelers?
As Thielen mentioned, the botched execution of passes between Aaron Rodgers and Metcalf did not mean Metcalf lacked talent or was a bad fit for the Steelers. In fact, the wide receiver had already managed to fix his issue with drops that plagued the beginning of his 2026 season. But Thielen and former NFLer Andrew Hawkins believed that Metcalf needed to use his physique to his advantage as well.
“DK is a big target and big targets aren’t going to be great separators,” Hawkins said. “So for DK, the growth is you got to come down with those contested catches. Your catch radius is what makes you special.”
His bigger frame meant a bigger catch radius, which Metcalf needed to utilize. If the receiver can work on his struggles with contested catches along with maintaining his reputation as a downfield threat, he could make the impact that the Steelers were looking for.