DK Metcalf’s time with the Seattle Seahawks ended on a sour note, as the star wide receiver requested to be traded earlier this month and soon after was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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On a recent podcast, Metcalf opened up about some friction that may have played a role in him wanting out of Seattle.
Speaking on the “Get Got Pod” with former Seahawks running backs Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson, Metcalf said he was grateful for the six seasons he spent in Seattle. But he also detailed some challenges in adjusting to the Seahawks’ new coaching staff under Mike Macdonald, who replaced longtime head coach Pete Carroll prior to the 2024 season.
Metcalf was one of just a handful of Seahawks this past season who had remained on the team from 2019, when the star wideout was a rookie second-round draft pick. Metcalf said that made him feel like an “outsider” under the new regime.
Are Metcalf’s complaints legit or are they sour grapes? Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus was posed that question while filling in for Friday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“I think it’s legit,” Bumpus said. “I think when you’re DK Metcalf, … with the numbers he’s been putting up over the past few years (and) the position he held in this organization, it wasn’t an ‘average Joe’ type of deal. He was a main contributor, and he talks about how the culture started to change and he felt like he wasn’t really a part of what was going on anymore.
“I can definitely see that. When you get new coaches coming in – Pete is gone, (general manager) John Schneider is holding a bigger role and a bigger say – things are going to change a little bit. So I think that was legit.”
In particular, Metcalf described some frustration with former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was let go in January after spending the 2024 season in that role.
Metcalf said that over the years, he and recently released veteran wideout Tyler Lockett had studied film and offered suggestions to the coaching staff for the team’s upcoming game plan. But with Grubb, Metcalf said he felt like those suggestions were being ignored.
Metcalf explained how those frustrations came to a head during a Week 6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, when he abruptly grabbed an assistant coach’s headset on the sideline to talk to Grubb up in the coach’s booth.
Bumpus said that if Metcalf’s input was indeed being ignored, then he had a right to be upset.
“You want your players, your main contributors, to be involved in the game plans,” Bumpus said. “Now, they’re not going out there and saying, ‘I want to run this play, this play and that play.’ (It’s more like), ‘I’m giving you tendencies. This is what I see on film.’ That means he is engaged in the game plan. You want that from your players.
“And when he feels like he’s being ignored by his offensive coordinator and he’s done so much for this organization, he should be mad. Now, should you get on the headset and yell? That’s your prerogative. I wouldn’t go that route, but … I’ve got no problems with what DK said.”
Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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