The Pittsburgh Steelers might not have to worry about finding a new tight end for a while.
They drafted Pat Freiermuth back in 2021 and it is a decision that has worked out pretty well for them so far.
It’s also a decision that could keep them in a good spot at the position for a long time.
Freiermuth appeared on the April 3 episode of the “Around the 412” podcast and revealed that he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Steelers.
“I want to be in Pittsburgh for the rest of my career,” Freiermuth said (via Steelers Now). “Hopefully it shakes out that way. I want to continue to play for Pittsburgh because it reminds me of where I’m from and how I was raised. Growing up and going through the hard times and good times together. I feel like the Pittsburgh media and fanbase and everyone kind of does that together. I feel very at peace and very comfortable in Pittsburgh. So, hopefully it shakes out the way that I want it to in the next coming year or whenever that may be.”
An Uneven Start to Freiermuth’s Career
Slow starts come with the territory when you draft a tight end, but Freiermuth actually progressed pretty well early in his career.
In his rookie season, Freiermuth made 60 catches for 497 and 7 touchdowns to make the Steelers feel good about their decision to draft him in round two right off the bat.
He followed that up with an even more impressive second year in the league. In year two he brought his numbers up to 63 catches for 732 yards despite a lot of inconsistency at quarterback.
Unfortunately the improvements stopped in 2023 and his numbers dropped in a big way. An injury limited Freiermuth to just 12 games last season and he wasn’t able to make much of an impact in the games he played.
During another season where the Steelers’ QB play left a lot to be desired, Freiermuth saw his numbers take a big dip. He made just 32 catches for 308 yards in his third NFL season.
Despite the regression in 2023, Freiermuth has proven he can be an asset even when being thrown to by a bad quarterback and the Steelers shouldn’t have too tough of a time deciding what to do when his rookie deal expires.
Not Much of a Decision for the Steelers
The Steelers will have a lot of big decisions to make at the end of the 2024 season. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both have deals that are set to expire after the season.
Najee Harris will be a free agent if the Steelers don’t exercise his fifth-year option. Cam Heyward i also set to become a free agent after next season.
Extending Freiermuth should be one of their easiest decisions.
The team doesn’t currently have a replacement on their roster. Connor Heyward had just 23 catches for 167 yards as the TE2 during his second year in the league.
Darnell Washington only made seven catches as a rookie.
The team invested a second rounder in Freiermuth for a reason and that reason wasn’t to get the first four years from him at a position that develops slowly.
He should also be a much larger part of the offense next season as we’ve seen tight ends succeed in Arthur Smith’s offense in the past.
It wouldn’t make sense for the Steelers to put themselves in a situation where they need to find themselves a new starter at tight end when they have one that’s shown off talent early in his career already on the roster.
It remains to be seen whether Freiermuth will spend his whole career in Pittsburgh, but he should certainly be with the Steelers for the foreseeable future.
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