Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is entering a contract year, and I’m sure his agent is studying new deals tight ends are signing like the latest by the Houston Texans’ Dalton Schultz. A six-year veteran, he reportedly signed a three-year contract worth $36 million, including $23.5 million guaranteed at signing.
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that’s an appropriate ballpark for the Steelers and Freiermuth this offseason. Asked about the subject in his latest chat session, he affirmed, “That sounds about right for Freiermuth too, give or take”.
A second-round draft pick out of Penn State in 2021, Freiermuth enters the final year of his deal at an inopportune time. Largely due to injury, he is coming off the worst of his three NFL seasons, producing career lows across the board.
In 12 games played, he recorded just 32 receptions on 47 targets for 308 yards and only two touchdowns. He caught another five passes for 76 yards in the Steelers’ sole postseason game, however. They targeted him erratically, one sequence perfectly emblematic of that. In Week 11, he caught one pass on one target for seven yards. The next week, he caught 9 of 11 for 120 yards. He failed to match that in the next four weeks combined, including one game with zero targets.
Since coming out of college, Freiermuth has caught 155 passes for 1,537 yards and 11 touchdowns. He debuted in QB Ben Roethlisberger’s final season, during which he caught seven touchdown passes. But he posted much more efficient numbers in 2022, increasing his yards per catch figure by nearly 40 percent.
Freiermuth injured his groin last season in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. He missed the next five games, spending four of them on the Reserve/Injured List. In three of his first four games, he recorded fewer than 10 receiving yards, yet he scored both of his touchdowns in that span.
After returning from injury in Week 11, he caught another 24 passes for 255 yards but failed to find the end zone again. He also played with three different quarterbacks during that run. Kenny Pickett injured his ankle, giving way to Mitch Trubisky. A few games later, the Steelers benched Trubisky in favor of Mason Rudolph.
The passing game needs stability, and the Steelers certainly don’t have that right now. They hope new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith provides that, including his incorporation of tight ends. The coaches likely believe they still have untapped potential in Freiermuth three years into his career given the circumstances.
If they truly do, then a contract extension makes all the more sense this offseason while his market is lower. But he still has a lot to prove, including as a blocker. He’s still only 25 years old and arguably hasn’t even hit his prime yet. But they need to find ways to use him. Especially if they’re thinking about paying him anywhere near $12 million per year.
