DK Metcalf Reportedly Restructures Steelers Contract, Updated Salary Cap for 2026 NFL Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly quintupled their 2026 cap space by reworking wide receiver DK Metcalf's contract.

The Steelers restructured Metcalf's deal to create almost $18 million in cap space next season, ESPN's Field Yates reported Thursday.

Report: Seahawks All-Pro DT Gets $90M Deal

The move was made by converting Metcalf's base salary into a signing bonus.

The Steelers ranked 32nd in the NFL with just $3.78 million in Top 51 cap space prior to the move, per Spotrac .

The contract readjustment reported by Yates could take the Steelers to around $21 million in cap space, which Spotrac estimates would rank around 15th in the league.

Metcalf, acquired from the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2025 season and extended immediately afterward, is currently signed through the 2029 season.

He was previously set to play the 2027 campaign with a $32.5 million cap hit, which Spotrac reports broke down into a $20 million base salary, $6 million signing bonus and $6.5 million roster bonus.

The news comes amid ongoing contract negotiations with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Head coach Mike McCarthy recently said the team and Porter are at an "impasse."

Porter, who was placed on the PUP list in July with a reported back injury, was one of the most effective pieces of the Steelers' defense last season. He allowed just a 56.2 passer rating when targeted by other quarterbacks in 2025, per PFF .

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently reported Porter could be looking at cashing in on that campaign by becoming the NFL's highest-paid cornerback.

The top of the cornerback market sits around $30 million, per Over the Cap . Devon Witherspoon currently leads the positional rankings thanks to his $33 million average annual salary with the Seattle Seahawks.

Clearing out salary cap space could potentially help the Steelers end the contract stalemate before the regular season, during which the franchise typically does not negotiate new contracts.

The Steelers won't be the only team impacted by the potential resolution of these contract talks. Should Porter re-sign with Pittsburgh before the start of the season, other clubs in the market for a cornerback may have to turn elsewhere to bolster their secondary via trade.