Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Carolina Hurricanes (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division)
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Steelers Trade D.K. Metcalf To The Las Vegas Raiders In Massive NFL Trade Proposal
The Pittsburgh Steelers just hired Mike McCarthy to become their next head coach, and he will be tasked with either elevating the culture past their playoff struggles or starting the rebuild process.
It is unlikely McCarthy is the future for the Steelers, as his experience mirrors that of Mike Tomlin, and McCarthy is 62 years old.
The Steelers have had only three head coaches since 1969 until McCarthy was hired as their fourth. The fifth will likely happen sooner rather than later. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has stated that he believes the Steelers should not draft a quarterback for a while.
They should either run it back with Aaron Rodgers or move on to Will Howard and build the team first, then find the quarterback.
That is why the Pittsburgh Steelers will trade D.K. Metcalf to the Las Vegas Raiders to start their process of building an elite team first.
More NFL Content From TWSN
Kenneth Walker’s Top 3 Free Agency Destinations After Super Bowl MVP Showing
Maxx Crosby Will Never Play For Las Vegas Raiders Again: Report
Way Too Early 2026 NFL Power Rankings: Post Super Bowl
Why The Las Vegas Raiders Should Trade For D.K. Metcalf
Metcalf entered the NFL back in 2019 with the Seattle Seahawks and looked like he was going to become the next big dominant wide receiver.
A physical freak of nature with elite straight-line speed, Metcalf’s ability was easily showcased in just his first few games in the league. He is an above-average wide receiver in the league; however, he has yet to pan out into the top 10 receiver many thought he would become.
Metcalf’s 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers was statistically the worst in his career, but he still had better numbers than many other receivers put up.
The Steelers should move on from the 28-year-old wide receiver and look to return draft assets for the future. The quarterback of the future is not set in Pittsburgh, and they should look to the future, not 2026.
The Las Vegas Raiders have the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Fernando Mendoza is sure to be selected. The rookie quarterback will need as much talent around him to have early success in the NFL to build off of. The Raiders have the right end and running back, but lack in the wide receiver room.
Pairing Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and D.K Metcalf together to help Mendoza get comfortable would instantly give the offense a much-needed jolt of energy.
If you also factor in speedster wideout Tre Tucker, the Raiders offense could be cooking under new head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders need to add as much as they can via the draft, free agency, and trades to help Mendoza succeed right from the get-go.
What Would a Trade Package Look Like?
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired D.K. Metcalf last March for a 2nd round pick, a seventh-round pick swap, and a sixth-round pick swap. The Steelers were doing their best to go “all-in” with Aaron Rodgers for the 2025 season and were able to win the AFC North and make it to the playoffs. However, their playoff performance proved they did not belong.
The Steelers are unlikely to get back what they gave up for him, but it could be close. The Steelers should seek a third-round pick and the same sixth and seventh round swaps as they did before.
That 2026 third-round pick will be highly valuable, as it will be the 67th overall. There would be no harm in asking for a second, but with pick 36 overall, the Raiders should look to retain it.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of great pieces and are about to get their future starting quarterback. They must give him a big-time target to throw to, along with a capable offensive line.
The easiest way to give Fernando Mendoza a legit number one guy right away to throw to is to trade for D.K. Metcalf.
Related
Subscribe to the TWSN Newsletter for original reporting, bold opinions, and real analysis across NFL, NBA, UFC, College Football, and more.
Straight to your inbox. Always authentic.
Sign up now and never miss a moment.
Pittsburg, PA
Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026
How to Watch: Local broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network South and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are heading out West later this week to play some late-night games against the Vegas Golden Knights (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET), Utah Mammoth (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche (Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET). Then it’s back for a rematch with the Hurricanes in North Carolina next Wednesday.
Opponent Track: The Hurricanes are still on top of the Metro, and they’ve won seven of their last nine, but they’re coming off a loss in Calgary that featured a wild five-goal third period last Saturday.
Season Series: The Penguins won this last matchup 5-1 on Dec. 30. Next up is that road game next Wednesday, followed four days later by a 3 p.m. ET Sunday matinee in Pittsburgh.
Hidden Stat: The Penguins haven’t won in Carolina since March 2019. The visitors are 0-4-4 in eight matchups over that span.
Getting to know the Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Mike Reilly – Alexander Nikishin
Goalies: Brandon Bussi, Frederik Andersen
Potential scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (day to day)
Injured Reserve: Charles-Alexis Legault, Pyotr Kochetkov, Nicolas Deslauriers
- Gostisbehere missed the Hurricanes’ Saturday loss to the Flames with a lower-body injury. Mike Reilly will likely slide out of this lineup if he is able to go.
- Nicolas Deslauriers has yet to make his Hurricanes debut since his trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Canes decide to slot him into the lineup Monday night, he would slot into their fourth line.
- The Hurricanes have historically been a tough matchup for the Pens, but the Penguins could take some lessons from the Flames. Calgary got beaten on face-offs (52.5 percent to 47.5 percent) and 5-on-5 scoring chances (24 to 21) while holding strong on hits (26-20) and getting some nice saves from Dustin Wolf to claim a 5-4 win over the Canes on Saturday.

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen
Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Ilya Solovyov
Goalies: Arturs Silovs, Stuart Skinner
Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (day to day)
IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander
- Jack St. Ivany is off IR. He’s headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan, per Seth Rorabaugh.
- Justin Breazeau’s status is uncertain after he was sidelined against the Bruins on Sunday with a day-to-day upper-body injury.
- Today should also lead to more information on whether Sidney Crosby is joining the team for the upcoming five-game road trip. Dane Muse said Sunday that decision would be made after the matchup against the Boston Bruins.
- Evgeni Malkin is set to miss the third game of his five-game suspension tonight. He won’t be eligible to return until the Penguins rematch against the Hurricanes next week.
- It’s a milestone game for Kyle Dubas, who has served as general manager for 600 career games, per Pens PR. A win tonight would tie him with Steve Yzerman for the 14th-most wins through that milestone with 326 victories.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers sign breakout star running back
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done making moves on the first day of legal tampering. Per Jordan Schultz, the Steelers are signing former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. The South Carolina product rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, averaging just under five yards per rush in each season.
This comes after the Steelers were very active on unofficial beginning of the new league year. They traded for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr and also signed cornerback Jamel Dean. Internally, they re-signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr and linebacker Cole Holcomb.
Dowdle now joins Jaylen Warren in the backfield, replacing Kenneth Gainwell, who left for Tampa Bay. On paper, this is one of the better one-two punches at running back in the NFL.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
Pittsburg, PA
Stanford meets Pittsburgh in ACC Tournament
Pittsburgh Panthers (12-19, 5-13 ACC) vs. Stanford Cardinal (20-11, 9-9 ACC)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Tuesday, 2 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Stanford faces Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament.
The Cardinal have gone 9-9 against ACC teams, with an 11-2 record in non-conference play. Stanford has a 3-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Panthers’ record in ACC games is 5-13. Pittsburgh has a 2-2 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
Stanford is shooting 43.7% from the field this season, 2.0 percentage points lower than the 45.7% Pittsburgh allows to opponents. Pittsburgh’s 43.6% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.0 percentage points lower than Stanford has given up to its opponents (45.6%).
The teams square off for the second time this season. Stanford won the last meeting 75-67 on Feb. 26. Ebuka Okorie scored 34 to help lead Stanford to the win, and Cameron Corhen scored 22 points for Pittsburgh.
TOP PERFORMERS: Okorie is scoring 23.1 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Cardinal. Benny Gealer is averaging 13.1 points and 1.7 steals over the past 10 games.
Corhen is scoring 13.1 points per game with 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Panthers. Barry Dunning Jr. is averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinal: 6-4, averaging 77.9 points, 29.6 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.4 points per game.
Panthers: 3-7, averaging 64.2 points, 29.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.8 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Pennsylvania5 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Detroit, MI4 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project