Getty The NFL punished Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf for his actions against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13.
Pro Bowl Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf will have a little bit lighter wallet this coming week.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on December 10 that Metcalf received a $10,609 fine for his actions against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. Metcalf head-butted Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the 27-23 Seahawks victory.
This was the second fine for Metcalf in three games. The NFL fined the 2020 Pro Bowl receiver $29,785 for an argument he had with an official against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Munich on November 13.
Metcalf Admits to Wrongdoing Against Rams
Staff reporter Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported Metcalf “questioned the fine” against the Buccaneers. But Metcalf didn’t seem to mind his second fine as much.
Or, at least he acted like he knew it was coming.
“Yeah, I head-butted him on purpose,” Metcalf said. “The official’s right there. [Ramsey] pushed me, so I head-butted him. It’s football.”
The $10,609 fine probably seems like a random amount, but that’s the standard for a player who is fined the first time for taunting, which is the classification Metcalf’s head-butt of Ramsey fell under this week.
Pelissero reported Metcalf was one of 10 players to receive an unsportsmanlike conduct fine (taunting is a subset under unsportsmanlike conduct).
Over $100K in fines for unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 13:
Ja’Marr Chase $15,914
A.J. Brown $13,261
Ezekiel Elliott $13,261
Dak Prescott $13,261
Mac Jones $10,609
DK Metcalf $10,609
Bradley Chubb $10,609
Jon Feliciano $10,609
Alexander Mattison $6,503
Peyton Hendershot $3,944
At least Metcalf’s fine will be going to a decent cause.
“Fine amounts are agreed to in negotiations between the league and the players association,” Condotta wrote. “Fines are deducted from a player’s paycheck and the money goes to the NFL Foundation, a fund that assists former players.”
Metcalf on Pace for Career-High in Receptions
During his first two NFL seasons, Metcalf produced a lot of big plays. Over his first 32 games, he averaged 15.6 yards per catch and posted 17 touchdowns.
Metcalf has seen his yards per reception average drop over the last two seasons, but he’s become a more reliable target and complete receiver.
Through 12 games, Metcalf already has 67 receptions on 100 targets. He leads the Seahawks in both categories and is second on the team with 5 receiving touchdowns.
At his current pace, Metcalf is on track to post 142 targets and 95 catches this season. His previous career high before this year was 129 targets and 83 receptions.
But while he’s more of a possession receiver than he was at the beginning of his career, Metcalf is also averaging more receiving yards per game than last season when Russell Wilson started 14 games for the Seahawks.
Metcalf is on track for 1,131 receiving yards this season. He needs just 202 more yards in the final five games to record his second 1,000-yard season.
Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have made up one of the better receiver duos in the NFL over the last couple seasons, and that’s continued in 2022. Lockett leads the Seahawks with 836 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns.
Lockett averaged 16.1 yards per catch last season, but with a lot more targets going his direction, Lockett’s average is down to 12.7 this year.
Marquise Goodwin has been quarterback Geno Smith’s favorite deep target in 2022. Goodwin leads the Seahawks with a 14.1 yards per catch average. With Goodwin’s emergence in the offense, it makes it all that much harder for opposing defenses to stop Metcalf and Lockett underneath.
In 2020, Lockett and Metcalf became the first pair of receivers in Seattle to both reach the 1,000-receiving mark since 1995. Both receivers are on track to surpass 1,100 receiving yards this season.
The Seahawks have never had two wideouts each reach that total in the same season.