In the least surprising development of the month, the NFL has upheld the two-game suspension the NFL imposed on Steelers receiver DK Metcalf.
Metcalf’s punishment flowed from his interaction with a fan during Sunday’s Lions-Steelers game in Detroit. The league concluded that Metcalf had engaged in conduct detrimental to the NFL.
That determination bypassed the usual hearing-officer process and delegated the appeal to the Commissioner or his designee. (Former NFL coach Chris Palmer reportedly handled it.) If the initial two-game punishment was imposed with the Commissioner’s knowledge or consent (surely, they ran it by him), why would he change his mind one day later?
And so Metcalf will miss Week 17 at Cleveland and Week 18 vs. Baltimore. He’ll lose $555,555 in base salary, with the Steelers also able (if they choose) to recover $1.5 million in signing bonus money and to void $25 million in fully guaranteed pay for 2026, along with $20 million in injury guarantees in 2027.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers will do it. It does, however, give them an easy out from Metcalf’s deal after only one year.
