Who Should I Start? DK Metcalf or Darius Slayton

Thursday, August 27, 7:33 AM

The Pittsburgh Steelers restructured the contract of wide receiver DK Metcalf on Thursday, converting his base salary into a signing bonus to create nearly $18 million in salary cap space in 2026, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The restructure comes after the Steelers signed the veteran wideout to a four-year, $132 million deal in March of last year. In his first year in the Steel City, the former second-rounder by the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 from Mississippi caught 59 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games while working with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers gave Metcalf some help this offseason by trading for Michael Pittman Jr. and drafting Germie Bernard, but a true bounce-back to the 1,000-yard mark might not be in the cards in a new offense that could continue to run through the ground game. The two-time Pro Bowler recently returned from a nagging, undisclosed injury in training camp and should be fine for the regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Metcalf is best valued as a WR3/flex as one of Rodgers' best red-zone weapons in 2026.