With the Brandon Aiyuk saga finally over, the Pittsburgh Steelers must now turn their attention to their homegrown players. The Steelers have some notable players who are set to hit free agency after the season in TE Pat Freiermuth, DT Cameron Heyward, and RB Najee Harris.
Pittsburgh needs to move fast to sign these guys as the team historically has declined to negotiate new deals during the season. Of the three notable pending free agents Steelers insider and PPG writer Ray Fittipaldo believes Freiermuth is the most likely to enter the season with a new deal.
“I would think there’s a pretty decent chance that Freiermuth would get done here,” said Fittipaldo on a recent 93.7 The Fan appearance. “And then listen, if Cam Heyward wants to take somewhat of a team-friendly deal, I think he could be back as well.
“But I’ve said all along Paul, that they could also deal with Cam after the season. He’s been here since 2011. There was that good relationship there. That’s six, eight weeks between the end of the season and free agency in March, that’s plenty of time to get something done if he does play well this year.”
It makes sense that Freiermuth is the priority over Heyward simply due to age. Entering the season, Heyward is 35 years old. Yes, Heyward has been great and has had a huge impact on the defense, but he is also coming off an injury riddled season where he wasn’t at his best. It makes sense why general manager Omar Khan would wait until after seeing how Heyward bounces back before extending him.
Freiermuth is also coming off a down year and injury-filled season. However, Fittipaldo thinks Pittsburgh is betting on a big season from Freiermuth. If that’s the case, locking him down now makes sense. A good tight ends is valuable and right now Freiermuth’ value might be at its lowest, coming off a year in which he played 12 games, caught 32 passes for 308 yards, and scored two touchdowns. It’s unlikely to produce a major discount but signing him now is cheaper than after the season if Freiermuth has a big year.
Given the Steelers high expectations, it is in their best interest to strike a deal with Freiermuth now rather than wait until the offseason. That’s unlike Heyward, who will be 36 entering the 2025 season will have a cap on what teams will pay him.
Harris is another player who could get a new deal. Although Pittsburgh did not pick up his fifth-year option, there is still an opportunity for the team to extend him. Harris has played well in his time in Pittsburgh and has not dealt with injuries. The big question with him is how much GM Omar Khan values running backs. That’s probably the biggest hold up. Harris is a good player and the running back duo of him and Jaylen Warren is one of the NFL’s best but if Khan is part of the “don’t pay running backs camp,” then it is hard to see an extension for happening.
I do think at least one of Freiermuth, Heyward, or Harris get a deal done. My best guess would be either Freiermuth or Heyward. Still, the money has to be right. Athletes are competitive and won’t want to take a deal that is less than they think they’re worth. With a seven days to get these deals done, the week leading up to the season opener should be packed with updates and hopefully new contracts.
