What is truth, and what is business? Maybe both can be the same. Business tends to get complicated when one high-profile performer gets upset about their pay, and the company has to address the issue. This is what happened between the Seattle Seahawks and DK Metcalf this offseason.
Reportedly, though, Metcalf had voiced his displeasure about being with Seattle in previous offseasons. He had a contract and was making good money, but wanted more. He wanted to go somewhere with a better quarterback situation, a warmer weather climate, and a team closer to winning a Super Bowl.
General manager John Schneider shipped Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 9. Pittsburgh then signed Metcalf to a four-year extension worth $132 million. The wide receiver got the money that Schneider and the Seahawks were unlikely to pay him beginning in 2026.
Seahawks' John Schneider tries to set the record straight about DK Metcalf
But going to the Steelers doesn't satisfy Metcalf's other wishes. The Steelers are still waiting to see if Aaron Rodgers will sign with them, Pittsburgh isn't warmer than Seattle in the winter, and Pittsburgh is certainly no closer to winning a championship. But Metcalf got his money, and that should make him smile.
Still, Schneider contends that money was not the only issue between Metcalf and Seattle. The wide receiver was also not angry about his role or how Seattle's offensive design or poor offensive line might have capped his overall production.
The GM said as much recently on the Rich Eisen Show.
Schneider said, "It really wasn’t (about a big contract). It was interesting because it wasn’t, like, animosity either. He really, really wanted a fresh start. It’s not like we went into the offseason thinking this would be a possibility, but he was pretty dug in on it. It ended up working out for both clubs, worked out for us, and worked out for Pittsburgh. And we wish him the best. He’s a great guy and obviously a high-end competitor."
The Seahawks have never been one to speak badly about a player who is no longer with the team. Schneider knows there is a chance that one day that player might return to Seattle. Why create a chasm where the player would speak poorly about the Seahawks to his new teammates, potentially hurting the team's reputation in free agency?
Any business would get frustrated if a key employee kept harping about their unhappiness with their workplace. That eventually affects the company's culture. It also suggests that the employee (or, in DK Metcalf's situation, the player) is self-serving and thinks of themselves as greater than the company or team.
Schneider would never call Metcalf selfish, as that is not how he does business, and he is too good a person to lower himself. But the truth might be what it is, and the Seahawks' culture is likely better off without Metcalf.
