Wide receiver DK Metcalf had career-low statistics in his first season with the Steelers in 2025, but his coaches and teammates have been impressed with his preseason work leading into Sunday’s season opener. (Chaz Palla | TribLive)
“Unbelievable” and “incredible” were words that DK Metcalf’s coach and quarterback
used to describe him, and, no, they weren’t talking about his theories on Antarctica.
The Pittsburgh Steelers receiver shared his thoughts about the icy continent in a recent interview with the New York Times, speculating that “there is another civilization inside of Earth,” according to the article. But rather some of Metcalf’s recent plays on the practice field had Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers describing him as almost otherworldly.
That’s positive news for an offense that counts on Metcalf to be its top receiver. He set a career low last season with 850 receiving yards, but the eighth-year pro had an outstanding summer by all accounts.
“DK has been incredible,” McCarthy said Thursday at the team’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I don’t think we’ve had an offensive review (of) videotape that he’s not highlighted. He had three things he did yesterday that were just special. The connection that him and Aaron have is top-notch.”
The Steelers open their season Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium.
Only a few days away from that first game, Metcalf said he and Rodgers are further ahead than they were at this point last summer. In part because Rodgers signed earlier this year, Metcalf said, but also because they can communicate better nowadays.
That relationship took time.
“I think that’s just it, having a year under our belt,” Metcalf said. “We know how to communicate with each other. We know what we’re looking for out there. And we both know how to watch film and communicate on the routes that we like, what we’ve seen and what we didn’t like.”
Earlier this summer, Rodgers described them as being in “a real good place as far as our friendship.” They had expressed optimism that their communication would benefit them on the field, which Metcalf reiterated Thursday.
“I’m open to taking criticism from him,” he said. “Just going out there and applying it the best way I see fit. Then we go back … and we’ll talk about it some more.”
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound receiver caught 59 passes in his first season with Rodgers, marking the second-lowest total of Metcalf’s career. However, a suspension did cost him the final two games of the season following a confrontation with a spectator in Detroit.
This summer, Metcalf didn’t suit up for any of the three preseason games and missed practice time last month with an undisclosed injury. But his overall work earned praise from Rodgers.
The quarterback said Metcalf had one of the best training camps on the team, ranking him possibly among the top five.
“DK has looked unbelievable,” Rodgers said.
McCarthy, who coached CeeDee Lamb in Dallas and Davante Adams in Green Bay, praised Metcalf’s versatility. McCarthy has said he values receivers who can run a variety of routes and fill various roles.
“Been around a few of them, but I’ve been super, super impressed with DK,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t realize the flexibility that he gives you, so he’s just an absolute stud.”
The Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr. and used a second-round pick on rookie Germie Bernard to bolster their receiver room from a year ago. Pittman has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, and Bernard showed promise at Alabama but Rodgers emphasized last week that the pass game starts with Metcalf.
“Well, we have to get the ball to DK,” Rodgers said. “He is our No. 1 for a reason. He’s had an incredible camp. But, obviously, if they give us a shade coverage to him, star coverage and give help over the top, other guys are going to have to make plays.”
In the locker room Thursday, Metcalf listed the many playmaking options he sees nowadays. The group has yet to play a game together, however, because Rodgers and Pittman also sat out all three preseason contests but Metcalf insisted that he already knows what they have.
“I’m not anxious to get out there or shocked or waiting to see what’s going to happen,” he said. “Teams have got to be able to stop us. … We’ve got weapons everywhere.”
Metcalf predicted that he’d take some ribbing for his conspiracy theories on Antarctica, starting with it being a secretive place that folks can’t visit. For now, the feedback is arriving via teammates.
“They were telling me about it,” Metcalf said. “I deleted Instagram again. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna hear it.”
In a locker room seemingly comfortable with talking conspiracies, Cam Heyward lightheartedly joined in. He insisted there’s a “real” lost city of Atlantis somewhere out there, other than the resort in the Bahamas.
That drew a smile from Metcalf.
“I haven’t talked to Cam about any of my conspiracies,” he said. “I’m going to leave Cam where he’s at until he’s ready to dip his toe in that type of water.”
About the Writer
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.