DK Metcalf Talks Super Bowl 55, Seahawks Goals, BOLT24 and More in B/R Exclusive

You're probably never going to be able to chase down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker in the open field to prevent a pick-six with track-star speed, but you can at least rehydrate like DK Metcalf. 

The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver partnered with BOLT24, which is a drink from the makers of Gatorade that uses electrolytes from watermelon and sea salt and no artificial sweeteners or flavors to support athletic lifestyles even when athletes aren't on the field.

BOLT24 is offered in sublines such as Antioxidant with Vitamins A and C, Energize with a boost of caffeine, and Restore with collagen. It also comes in a variety of flavors, including tropical mango, mixed berry, cherry lime, orange passion fruit and strawberry lemon, but Metcalf has no doubt which one he prefers.

"When I get done working out and I get home, I open my fridge and I have a watermelon-strawberry BOLT24 flavor staring me in my face," he told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "Sit down on the couch, pop it in and it's helping me throughout my whole entire day. It's like a 24-7 hydration drink."

Sports fans have no doubt seen athletes such as Damian Lillard and Serena Williams in national commercials for the drink, and Metcalf said to "be on the lookout" because he too might be featured in such a spot in the future.

That a wide receiver who has been in the NFL for just two seasons would even be considered for a national commercial like that is a testament to Metcalf's individual brilliance on the field.

He firmly established himself as one of the best playmakers in the league in 2020 as a Pro Bowler with 83 catches for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns. He helped lead the Seahawks to a 12-4 record and NFC West title while breaking Steve Largent's franchise record for the most receiving yards in a single season in the process.

It is hard to classify the 2020 campaign as anything but a success for Metcalf, but only one thing stands out the most when he is asked to reflect on his year.

"That we're not playing in the Super Bowl, so still got a lot of work to do," he said.

Instead, it will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs playing for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday. Even though he is disappointed not to be playing and doesn't have a prediction, Metcalf shares the excitement of many fans who are ready to watch Tom Brady go up against Patrick Mahomes in a showdown of an all-time legend and a legend-in-the-making.

"It's going to be a fun game," Metcalf said. "Two great quarterbacks and two great teams battling head-to-head. So it's going to be a fun game to watch."

He will be watching because Seattle lost 30-20 to the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round.

It's hard to blame Metcalf considering he had five catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the game against the defense that led the league in fewest points and yards allowed this season, but the loss at least provides motivation for the star receiver going into his third year in the league.

"Making it to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl is one of the biggest goals I have right now," he said. "The individual goals will take care of itself."

A Super Bowl appearance for the Seahawks would be their first since the 2014 campaign, and they already made a significant change this offseason with that goal in mind.

Seattle parted ways with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer after three seasons and cited "philosophical differences" in the announcement. After starting the season on fire, the team scored fewer than 30 points in seven of the final eight regular-season games and managed just 278 total yards in the playoff loss to the Rams.

Metcalf himself turned heads when he said on the I AM Athlete Podcast (h/t Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic): "Teams just started to figure us out. We've been running deep pass, ever since [coach] Pete [Carroll] got there. Play-action. Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, go deep. Teams just said, 'We're just not gonna let you all go deep.'"

In response to the offensive collapse, the Seahawks hired Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron as the new offensive coordinator.

Waldron, who comes from Sean McVay's coaching tree, was on the Rams' staff when they reached the Super Bowl during the 2018 campaign and helped Jared Goff finish third in the league with 4,638 passing yards in 2019.

Of note for Metcalf, wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods each went over 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 900 receiving yards in 2020 with Waldron directing the aerial attack.

"Just the different mindset and plays that he's bringing to the Seahawks," Metcalf said when asked what he is most looking forward to when it comes to working with Waldron. "Just seeing how him and Russ [Wilson] collab and how we can make the team better."

Sit back and grab a BOLT24 because it will be an absolute show in 2021 if Metcalf somehow gets better with those new plays.