D.K. Metcalf is still fresh on the scene in the NFL, cooking up rookie-year production as one of Russell Wilson's favorite targets for the Seattle Seahawks.
When the day comes for the young wide receiver to hang up the cleats, however, he doesn't plan to stop cooking.
As he details in a new edition of "Plan for Amazing," the series from John Hancock and The Players Tribune that profiles NFL stars with plans for after the gridiron, the Seahawks' 21-year-old pass catcher is bent on using his hands after retirement -- albeit in the kitchen.
"In high school, I thought cooking was going to be my calling, because if football didn't work, I was going straight to culinary school in Chicago," Metcalf explains. "Experimenting with flavors was something that I wanted to do, making different flavors -- sweet and spicy, a little tart. I know when I'm done playing football, I want to open up my own restaurant."
A second-round draft pick this past April, Metcalf looks as if he's got a long NFL career ahead of him. The chiseled Ole Miss standout has been among the top-performing wideouts of his class. Entering Week 12, he ranks second on the Seahawks in catches (35), receiving yards (595) and receiving touchdowns (5), delivering big plays opposite Tyler Lockett and helping to fuel Wilson's 2019 MVP campaign, not to mention a likely Seattle playoff run.
But as the son of a former NFL player, ex-Chicago Bears lineman Terrence Metcalf, he also knows that "football money" can go away quicker than you'd think once the pads are off for good. Metcalf credits his father for teaching him how to manage his finances and plan for the future, and thanks to his longtime affinity for food, he's got his sights set on a career for after the game.
"I'm more than just an athlete," he says. "I can be a chef or a restaurateur if I want. When I think about retirement, the three words that really stick out to me are hustle, sizzle and savor ... When I was in college, I worked at probably the only Italian restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi. Working at the restaurant, I used to always just sit in the back, eat the bread and watch the chefs cook and how they can, like, come together, basically like a football team."
Metcalf says one of his goals for retirement is ensuring that he doesn't rely only on money earned from catching passes. He's after "generational wealth." And if he can cook up some great meals in the process, well, even better.
