Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf is preparing to start a new NFL season on Sunday, while one former teammate, recently retired quarterback Russell Wilson, is beginning his journey as a NFL studio analyst on CBS.
Wilson is also prepping to be the father of a newborn for the fourth time after he and wife Ciara announced this week that they are expecting another child.
As part of an interview with The Athletic released on Tuesday, Metcalf previewed the upcoming Steelers season and also spoke about the perception among some people that Wilson is “corny.”
“I never liked when people called Russ corny,” Metcalf said. “Because what if that’s just Russ? Why does it have to be a specific title to it? Russ is always great to me.“
“Never looked at him as corny. He’s a great father, great football player, a great friend, great brother, great businessman, but I never looked at him as corny,” he added.
Wilson and Metcalf played together with the Seattle Seahawks after the franchise drafted the wide receiver out of Ole Miss in the 2019 NFL draft.
The duo combined for 29 touchdowns over three seasons before Wilson was ultimately traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022.
Three years later, Metcalf requested his own trade from the Seahawks and landed in Pittsburgh with the Steelers.
Wilson and Ciara met in 2015, and the couple got married in July 2016. The pair is already parents to four children, daughters Sienna and Amora and sons Future and Win.
Future was already born when Ciara entered her relationship with Wilson, as she had him amid a prior relationship with the rapper Future, whose stage name is the same as his son’s first name.
Wilson’s sometimes-quirky personality over the years has led to narrative among some that he is corny. Ciara responded to the chatter about Wilson being labeled corny in an interview on “The Breakfast Club” last August.
“I don’t even have to respond to that,” Ciara said. “Why would I even respond to that? I know what I know and that’s all that matters.
“He is the most amazing human being you could know. The smartest, most intelligent Black man that I have ever known,” she explained.
Wilson, 37, reportedly had opportunities to be a backup quarterback during the upcoming NFL season, but he instead opted to announce his football retirement in June and join CBS.
“As I enter this next chapter with CBS Sports and ‘The NFL Today,’ I’m so blessed to continue doing what I love most — being around the greatest game in the world,” Wilson said.
His new role will likely give Wilson more time to spend at home when Ciara gives birth to their newest family member.
