How 20-something Seahawks stars DK Metcalf and Riq Woolen use social media has changed

DK Metcalf is growing up.

And out of so much time on social media.

The Seahawks’ 26-year-old wide receiver is in his sixth NFL season since the team drafted him in 2019. He says for the last year he’s consciously stayed away from the hyper-critical, anonymous, online forums most fellow 20-somethings love.

“Just a different perspective,” Metcalf said Wednesday while his Seahawks (1-0) prepared for their game Sunday at the 1-0 New England Patriots (10 a.m., channel 13). “Just being off of it, saying, you know, ‘How long I can go without it?’

“And, you know, one week turned in a couple months. And (to) look back at it: Really don’t need to be on it.”

Metcalf hasn’t posted on his X/Twitter account since October 2023. His last post was a re-post the day before the Seahawks played the Bengals in Cincinnati last season.

Metcalf made a comment the week of that game when asked about Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase going against Seattle’s then-rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the fifth-overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft.

Metcalf told reporters in Western Washington that week: “It will be fun to watch Sunday, but I think ‘Spoon will get the best of him.”

That got back to Chase in Ohio. The Bengals receiver laughed and said Metcalf was doing what he should, supporting a teammate.

Since that week, it’s been crickets from Metcalf on X.

On his Instagram page, Metcalf has in recent weeks posted pictures of him in fashion clothing and re-posted advertising shoots for Hulu plus a cover of Men’s Health magazine..

Asked how the Men’s Health cover shoot went Metcalf said: “I‘m kind of low-key off social media right now, so I hadn’t been able to tap into all of them. But I heard you turned out great.”

How?

“My mother told me,” he said.

He said he has another project he filmed this summer at the Hidden Empire Film Group in Los Angeles.

Asked if that’s project has been released, Metcalf joked “Man, you want to know too much.

“No,” he said, “not yet.”

Metcalf says he liked being unplugged from the online judging world.

“Yeah, simple life,” he said. “Don’t worry about anything.”

Metcalf had three catches for 29 yards and drew penalties by Patrick Surtain shadowing him throughout Seattle’s opening win over Denver last weekend.

This week, Metcalf restructured his contract that ends after the 2025 season. The move to turn salary into bonus money saved the Seahawks $9.5 million against the league’s salary cap for this year.

Riq Woolen stung by social-media criticism

Seahawks teammate Riq Woolen is 17 months younger than Metcalf. The Pro Bowl cornerback remains engaged in social media.

But only, he says, in personal communications. He is ignoring or not caring anymore about interacting with and posting to a wide, anonymous audience.

In 2022, Woolen starred as a Seahawks rookie. He spent much of that debut season leading the league in interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Social-media commenters loved him.

Last season the 6-foot-4 Woolen, a wide receiver in college at Texas-San Antonio, struggled with the physicality of some games. His tackling suffered. Seattle’s staff of then-coach Pete Carroll benched Woolen during a game at division-rival San Francisco in late November. He got benched again for the start of a high-profile home game against Philadelphia on a Monday night in December.

Last month in training camp Woolen said, seemingly referring to his critics he found online: “Honestly, I just felt like last year was a great year for me. To some people, they may have their own opinions But those the same people that’s not playing the game.

“So, it’s OK with me. I feel great and I feel like this year will be even better.”

Woolen sped to the sideline and intercepted a pass from rookie quarterback Bo Nix in the second half of Seattle’s 26-20 win over Denver. it was the opening game of Woolen’s third NFL season.

He hasn’t gone as far off social media as Metcalf has.

“I mean, usually when I’m on social media, I like to look at funny Instagram Reels or like, TikToks,” Woolen said, “and I just send them to my homies, and we just got, like, a group chat. We just saying, ‘Hello, funny,’ like, Reels and stuff.

“So I mean, social media really don’t play a part to me. I learned not to care, because social media isn’t real life. And most people on social media, you never go meet them anyway, so I just don’t care.

“I just honestly go on there, go, like, watch funny stuff and see what my friends and family do.”

He said the first thing he does each morning is turn on his phone and get on Instagram Reels, to check in with his friends back in his home state of Texas.

“If I’m laying in bed or something like, it’ll be like, 6:30 in the morning, I wake up and I just be chilling in bed,” Woolen said. “And so most of my friends, you know, they live in Texas (two hours ahead of Seattle), so they’ll already be up and going about their day. So I’ll just be sending Reels and asking everybody ‘What are doing up so early?”

“That’s probably one of the fun things I like to do on social media.”

Riq Woolen affected by online criticism

Was there a time that he did care, that the criticism online about his play affected him?

“I feel like last season, just a little bit,” Woolen said.

“I still didn’t care, but I’d see what fans would say. I’d see what people in the news or the media would say. And as a young player, I’m like, ‘Damn, y’all was just giving me hugs — and now you turn your back on me.’ Which is funny.

“So I just learned not to care. I just learned that the only person you got at the end of this is yourself. So I just made sure that I took care of myself, and make sure that my mental (aspect) is straight.”