Set to Break Seahawks Single Season Receiving Record, DK Metcalf Eying Calvin Johnson Next

With four quarters of play remaining in the 2020 regular season, Seahawks star DK Metcalf needs just six yards to pass legendary wideout Steve Largent for the franchise's single-season receiving record.

Entering a Week 17 road match with the 49ers, Metcalf currently ranks sixth in the NFL with 1,282 receiving yards and is tied for sixth in the league with 10 receiving touchdowns. At 31 years of age, Largent posted 1,287 receiving yards, a record that has stood untouched for 35 seasons, while earning his first and only First-Team All-Pro selection.

As he approaches Largent's mark, Metcalf hasn't had a chance to speak with the Hall of Famer just yet, but considering the record has held strong for nearly four decades, he's grateful for simply having the chance to surpass it this weekend as Seattle pushes towards the postseason.

"I haven't been able to communicate with him recently," Metcalf told reporters on Wednesday. "But just to break a record that's been standing for so long, it is just a blessing to be in this position and an amazing opportunity that I have in front of me."

According to the budding superstar, the number 1,287 has been on Metcalf's mind since midway through his rookie season. After being selected with the 64th overall pick by the Seahawks in the second round, he finished second among rookie receivers with 900 receiving yards on 58 receptions and scored seven touchdowns.

Building off a stellar first season, Metcalf produced at least 100 receiving yards in three of Seattle's first seven games and scored at least one touchdown in seven of the team's first nine games. By the midway point, he was on pace for well over 1,400 receiving yards, positioning himself to meet his goal of eclipsing Largent's storied record.

Assuming the 6-foot-4, 228-pound receiver gets the six yards needed to make history for the Seahawks on Sunday, Metcalf envisions the record being just the first of many he plans to conquer during his playing career. Next up, he plans to make a run for the NFL single season record, which is currently held by Calvin "Megatron" Johnson.

"I kinda looked up the record last year, saw how far it was towards the end of the season, so I knew it was going to be on the agenda this year to break it," Metcalf smiled. "You know, I gotta start small, start with Largent's record, and then hopefully move up to Calvin's record."

It's insane Metcalf would be using the words "start small" when discussing Largent's record given how long it has lasted, but that's the type of special talent he brings to the table. A few weeks ago, before turning 23 years old, he became only the fourth receiver in franchise history with 1,000 yards and 10-plus touchdowns, joining Largent, Joey Galloway, and Doug Baldwin in rare company.

Still seemingly far away from reaching his ceiling at the end of his second season, who would question Metcalf's ability to eventually make a push at breaking Johnson's record of 1,964 yards? Especially when considering he's catching passes from one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and possesses such rare physical gifts coupled with elite work ethic and football instincts.

There's a wide gap between where Metcalf will finish this season - currently, 1,287 receiving yards in a season has been accomplished 223 times in NFL history - and where Johnson sits at the top of the list. But the former Lions legend registered 1,331 receiving yards in his second season and Metcalf himself only needs 49 yards on Sunday to equal that total himself.

While those ambitions will certainly push Metcalf next offseason and beyond as he aims to become one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game, winning remains above all else on his list of goals. Passing Largent will be a cherry on top in a special season that culminated with an NFC West division title. Embracing the "Won Not Done" slogan on Seattle's championship shirts, his focus is solely on guiding the team to a second a Lombardi Trophy next month.

"We all set to have bigger goals. I mean, a division title is great and all, but we have our eyes set on a Super Bowl, so take it one game at a time and finish the season strong and carry our momentum into the playoffs."