DK Metcalf’s Steelers praise doubles as a subtle shot at Seahawks

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is living up to life as a Pittsburgh Steeler. The way that team in the AFC North is spinning it this preseason, life is good for everyone in black and gold.

Of course, in Metcalf’s case, he’s the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver, he has a Hall of Fame quarterback passing him the rock, and he hasn’t had to play a single down in the preseason. 

But with so many new faces in Pittsburgh, Metcalf and the Steelers face questions about cohesion and camaraderie as the regular season approaches. Another leader on his new team, Cam Heyward, posed the question on his podcast, Not Just Football, to Metcalf and Rodgers of what fans can expect from the 2025 Steelers, and Metcalf’s answer seemingly took a shot at the Seattle Seahawks.

Why Pittsburgh feels different for DK Metcalf after six years with the Seattle Seahawks

“One thing we are going to do is play hard. I think, in my career, I’ve never been a part of a team with so much cohesion on both sides of the ball, like how we share a locker room with some of the defensive players,” Metcalf said. “O-Line, I go in the O-Line room and chill with them a lot. Like, I think I’ve just never been a part of a team that’s this close-knit since college. So, I think we’re going to play hard for each other.”

Of course, only Metcalf can speak of his experiences, especially when it comes to the feeling in the locker room. His time in Seattle was after the Super Bowl years, during the downturn of Russell Wilson’s career, and then washed into the short-lived Geno Smith era.

With such heavy expectations on Metcalf’s shoulders, it’s easy to see how he could become somewhat jaded toward his former team. After all, the Wilson drama is a leading candidate to point to in why Metcalf might feel that way.

However, it’s not as though the Seahawks gave him the short end of the stick on a team-wide scale. After all, Pete Carroll has just as impressive a resume as Mike Tomlin, even if Metcalf did have to endure one losing season with the Seahawks.

But at least Seattle has won a playoff game during Metcalf’s NFL career. That’s the bare minimum goal for Pittsburgh this season after having lost its last five playoff games dating back to 2016.

For what it's worth, Metcalf did say Carroll and Tomlin are his favorites coaches he's had earlier in the podcast.

Naturally, the Steelers are in a position where they have to build team chemistry quickly. There have been several big-name additions since Metcalf was traded in March. Sometimes that can masquerade as effort toward building a team rather than existing cohesion.

Still, Seattle will be one of the first teams to put that team chemistry in Pittsburgh to the test. The Steelers will host the Seahawks in their home opener in Week 2.