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DK Metcalf downplays Steelers' QB concerns, vows to help 'whoever' ends up 'throwing the football'

Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the only two quarterbacks under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While Justin Fields and Russell Wilson handled the Steelers' starting quarterback duties at different times last season, it remains unclear who will be under center once the regular season kicks off.

Fields agreed to a two-year contract with the Jets earlier this week, while Wilson reportedly visited other teams. While there are more questions than answers in Pittsburgh's quarterback room, the storied franchise did bolster its wide receiver corps by adding DK Metcalf.

The Steelers sent draft picks to Pittsburgh in exchange for Metcalf. The star wide receiver subsequently agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension, ESPN reported.

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During his introductory news conference, Metcalf took a moment to praise the Steelers for providing a warm reception.

"Coach [Mike] Tomlin, Mr. Omar [Khan] and Mr. [Art] Rooney all hopped on the phone with me Sunday, and it just felt homey, felt welcoming that they wanted to bring me to this historic organization," Metcalf said. "Everything just snowballed from there and brought me here in front of you today."

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Metcalf, who finished last season with 992 receiving yards, also acknowledged he doesn't control the team's personnel. But he said discussions with Tomlin and the Steelers' other decision-makers made him feel confident about the quarterback they will sign.

"They made me feel like they had the right decision with who was going to be throwing me the football," Metcalf said, according to ESPN. "I’m not making the decision in the quarterback room. So, I’m just going to try to do the best of my abilities to help whoever they have out there throwing the football. They make the correct decisions to bring the quarterback in here. So, I’m just going to roll with that."

Metcalf, George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are Steelers' top wide receivers heading into the 2025 season. Metcalf wore jersey No. 14 during his six-year stint in Seattle. Pickens wears the same number, so Metcalf decided to switch to No. 4.

"I mean, he's been here, he's made a staple in the No. 14," Metcalf said in reference to Pickens. "I'm not trying to take away from anybody's legacy, just trying to help build mine."

The Steelers finished the 2024 regular season with a 10-7 record and were eliminated from the postseason in the wild-card round.

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Ancelotti blasts schedule: 'TV rights come first'

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on Friday complained about calendar congestion, saying that his players will have only 72 hours of rest since their Champions League round-of-16 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Atlético Madrid before facing Villarreal.

Caitlin Clark's boyfriend posts cryptic message after his dad is ejected from game and fired as Iowa coach

Fran McCaffery was reportedly fired as the University of Iowa's men's basketball head coach Friday after a 15-year stint running the program. 

McCaffery's firing came just one day after he was ejected from a blowout loss to Illinois in the Big 10 Tournament Thursday. The team will miss the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. 

Footage of the ejection circulated on social media after Iowa's 106-94 loss.

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Just minutes after McCaffery's firing was reported by multiple outlets, his son Connor, a former Iowa player, current Butler men's basketball assistant head coach and boyfriend of Caitlin Clark, posted three clown emoji on X.

Connor's last two X posts were a retweet of a celebratory post of his father reaching the 200-win mark at Iowa and two heart emoji over a video of his father's emotional interview after a win over Rutgers in February. 

Connor played for Fran at Iowa for six seasons from 2017-23. 

HUGE CAITLIN CLARK MILESTONE SURPASSED BY TEEN PHENOM JUJU WATKINS AMID QUEST TO STEAL ALL-TIME SCORING CROWN

During his six seasons, Connor played in 166 games, which ranks second in Iowa history. He dealt with injuries throughout the majority of his college career, but a redshirt year and COVID-19 campaign allotted him six seasons of eligibility. 

He reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his full seasons apart from his COVID season. He averaged 4.5 points and three rebounds, and played in 111 wins, tying Jordan Bohannon for the most in program history. His career assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.59 (527 assists to 147 turnovers) is the second best in NCAA history.

Iowa is also where Connor met Clark when she was starring for the women's team from 2020-24. The couple started dating in April 2023 after Clark led Iowa on a run to the NCAA title game. Connor was a senior at that time and began his coaching career after graduating. 

Fran McCaffery will leave Iowa after he led the team to seven NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the second round four times but never reaching the Sweet 16. The coach would have led eight NCAA tournament teams had the COVID-19 pandemic not resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. 

In 15 seasons as Hawkeyes head coach, McCaffery had a record of 297-207 and will leave the program as the all-time wins leader. 

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