Seattle, WA
Seattle radio host says Russell Wilson was 'poisoning the well' when it came to DK Metcalf staying with Seahawks
Shortly after Russell Wilson came to Pittsburgh last year, Ian Furness of KJR Radio in Seattle joined the “Breakfast With Benz” podcast and had a less than glowing review of what Steelers fans could expect from their new quarterback.
While Wilson went above and beyond in Pittsburgh to compensate for some of the reputation he had built up for being a corporate entity instead of a teammate in Seattle and Denver, a lot of what Furness foreshadowed in terms of Wilson’s in-game pros and cons manifested during the 2024 campaign at Acrisure Stadium.
When Furness joined me again on 105.9 The X in Pittsburgh on Monday, he painted a very different picture of new Steeler DK Metcalf. He’s another former Seahawk who is joining the Steelers after a standout career in Seattle. The 27-year-old pass catcher and Wilson were teammates before Wilson left to play with the Broncos.
“I think 100%, yes, he’s a No. 1 wide receiver. You’re getting an absolute thoroughbred. I’ve loved watching him play, loved covering him. Love everything about him,” Furness said. “There’s not much I’m going to say negative about DK. You guys are getting ‘a dude.’ There’s no doubt about it.”
That said, Metcalf had a significant dip in production last year. From Nov. 17 through the end of the year, Metcalf never exceeded 70 receiving yards in a single game. He scored only five times all year.
But Furness blames a lot of that slump on Metcalf trying to play through an MCL injury.
“He hadn’t missed a game yet in his career until this year. He was hurt early in the season but tried to fight through it. They finally held him out for a couple of games. Then he came back, and he was never really 100%,” Furness explained. “The Seahawks literally, forcefully, had to hold him out of games. That’s not who and what he is. This is a guy that is just the ultimate competitor.”
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When Metcalf asked for a trade this winter, there was some surprise, and Furness says some people inside Seattle’s offices are convinced that Wilson had something to do with Metcalf’s request.
“I think Russ is the reason (Metcalf) wanted out. I think Russ whispered in his ears. Russ has been a cancer for the Seahawk organization,” Furness said. “Russ keeps in contact with (Metcalf) and Tyler (Lockett). I know — from what I understand inside the building — they’re pretty confident that Russ is the guy who was whispering in DK’s ears. Kind of poisoning the well, so to speak.”
Furness says that Wilson’s alleged influence wasn’t even about guiding Metcalf to Pittsburgh. After all, Wilson doesn’t even know if he’ll be back in Black and Gold this season. It was more about simply implying that there are greener pastures beyond Seattle.
“Just talking about getting out. Like, ‘Hey, you deserve this.’ And you’ve got to remember why Russ wanted out. Russ was trying to get John Schneider, the GM, fired — as well as (former coach) Pete Carroll. Always remember that in terms of the ‘Russ influence,’” Furness said. “He’s a clubhouse politician. He wasn’t trying to get (Metcalf) in Pittsburgh, thinking he was going to be in Pittsburgh. He’s like, ‘Yeah, man, you should, you should get (paid).’”
Wilson and Metcalf have a good relationship going back to their playing days together in Seattle, as do Wilson’s wife (Ciara) and Metcalf’s girlfriend (Normani). They are both pop music singers, and all four were recently photographed together.
Now we’ll see if Wilson comes back to the Steelers as the team’s quarterback for a second consecutive year, or if he yields the position to Aaron Rodgers as Wilson perhaps jumps to Tennessee.
Listen: Ian Furness of KJR Radio in Seattle joins me to talk about the DK Metcalf acquisition by the Steelers, Russell Wilson’s alleged involvement, the Kraken, and more
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
The Seattle Mariners have been staring down a difficult decision for weeks now and it’s only getting closer as Bryce Miller nears the end of his rehab assignment.
Two factors Hyphen sees in Bryan Woo’s recent struggles
When Miller makes his return to the big league club, which is now less than two weeks away barring a setback, the Mariners will have six capable starters but only five rotation spots.
The assumption when Miller started the season on the injured list was that he would replace Emerson Hancock when he returned, but Hancock has been Seattle’s best starter thus far, posting a 2.59 ERA over seven starts while striking out batters at a career-best 28.9% clip.
Now it looks as if veteran Luis Castillo could be the top candidate to taken out of the rotation. In seven starts this season, the right-hander has produced a 6.29 ERA and minus-0.8 bWAR.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan weighed in on the possibility of Castillo being taken out of the starting rotation when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday.
“I think it all depends on where Luis Castillo’s frame of mind is,” Passan said. “If Luis Castillo is open to going to the bullpen, you consider that. And if he is not, then you take a look and see what his willingness to go on the injured list is. And if that’s not the case, then maybe you do consider a six-man rotation. I think there are just lots of different possibilities here.”
For Passan, what Castillo has done for the organization, which includes helping the team reach the playoffs twice, is also an important part of the equation.
“I think what also factors in is Luis Castillo has done this for a really long time at a really high level and been a really important part of the success that you’ve had organizationally, and I don’t take that lightly,” Passan said. “I think the way that you treat people who have done right by you and helped you get into the position (you’re in), they’re not disposable. So you can’t just say to Luis Castillo, you’re not performing right now, you’re going to the pen.
“Well, you could. I just don’t know how well that goes over and I don’t know what sort of precedent that sets for treatment of players going forward.”
Passan added that moving Castillo to the bullpen is the type of “cold” decision a contender has to make sometimes, but that having a productive Castillo is also key for the team.
“Having a productive Luis Castillo makes them much likelier to be a World Series team,” Passan said. “You can get rid of your manager and survive that. But knowing that Castillo has to be around still, you just need to be mindful of the way – not even the way that you’re treating him, because the way that you’re treating him is through your perspective. The question is, how does he feel like he’s being treated? That is imperative here, and if you can thread the needle and figure out a way to solve your problem while still keeping Luis Castillo content, then that’s the ideal (situation). That’s the goal, that is the aim of this whole thing. And it’s a very delicate and difficult subject.”
Castillo in line for positive regression?
While it has been a struggle for Castillo early on, Passan sees some reason to believe his numbers will level out with more starts. He pointed to Castillo’s 4.25 FIP, which is nearly identical to Bryan Woo’s and better than Logan Gilbert’s. However, he is concerned with Castillo’s career-low groundball rate.
“Ever since he’s come to Seattle, he’s been much more of a flyball pitcher. But he’s down to a 33% ground ball rate this year. Not good,” Passan said. “I will say this, the positive regression is going to come in the form of runners being stranded. He’s got a strand rate right now of only 58.8%, league average is somewhere in the 70-plus range.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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The West Seattle Junction space formerly occupied by Willow, preceded by Fleurt, will not be empty for long. A familiar Junction fashion entrepreneur is moving into 4536 California SW – here’s the announcement:
Well-known West Seattle staple Carmilia’s announced today that it will open a new store in the Alaska Junction, offering everything from skincare products to fashion accessories. The new store, located at 4536 California Ave SW, formerly home to Fleurt and Willow, will do a soft opening on Art Walk Night, May 14, 2026. Carmilia’s owner, Linda Walsh, is at the helm of the project.
The store will be filled with all of Walsh’s favorite things: shoes, accessories, and gifts, at a variety of price points. It’s the perfect place to find unique and playful items for your next celebration or shopping spree. The store’s scheduled hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm, and Sunday 10 am-4 pm.
Walsh told us she hasn’t yet settled on a name, so if you pass the future shop’s windows you will probably see “Watch This Space” as a placeholder!
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