The 2024 season hasn’t even kicked off, but in the NFL cycle, things are already looking ahead to the 2025 offseason, where it could be a rather bountiful free agency crop to hit the open market.
Names like Dallas QB Dak Prescott, Dallas WR CeeDee Lamb, a pair of Kansas City Chiefs offensive linemen in center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith, and even Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins could hit the open market in what could be a huge offseason from an offensive side of the football perspective.
It remains to be seen who will get extensions, who will be hit with the franchise tag, and who will hit the open market, but for now, there’s a clear-cut top 50 pending 2025 free agent list for NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal.
In that top 50, there are three Steelers featured, all of whom appear to be key pieces now and moving forward for the Black and Gold.
That would be tight end Pat Freiermuth, quarterback Justin Fields and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
Rosenthal ranked Freiermuth at No. 24, Fields at No. 26, and Heyward at No. 44 in his top 50.
“Tight ends are sneaky hard to find in free agency and the best still should be ahead for Freiermuth,” Rosenthal writes.
The belief is that the Steelers and Freiermuth will reach a contract extension before the start of the 2024 season, which would take him off of the pending free agent list. However, if the Steelers do not secure Freiermuth on a contract extension and the Penn State product goes out in 2024 and plays up to expectations in a TE-friendly offensive scheme under new coordinator Arthur Smith, the former second-round pick will be in for a big pay day.
He’s a good receiving weapon in the passing game, one that can create space in the middle of the field and make the tough catches, moving the chains. He’s flexible enough to move around the formation, too, in search of mismatches in the passing game.
Smith recently compared him to former TE Delanie Walker, so a strong 2024 season should be in the cards for Freiermuth, assuming health.
As for Fields, there is no contract extension coming from the Steelers — at least until after the season. He’s on a one-year deal after the Steelers declined his fifth-year option after acquiring him via trade from the Chicago Bears.
“At worst, Fields is a floor-raiser. His running ability provides a baseline for an offense and there’s still potential for more if he lands in the right system,” Rosenthal writes regarding Fields and his No. 26 ranking.
While he’s in a battle for the starting QB job with Russell Wilson, the belief is that he’ll be the backup to Wilson to start the season, though he could get an opportunity later in the year if Wilson struggles.
That makes his inclusion on this list a tough one. He plays a premium position at quarterback and has high-end skills at his disposal with a strong arm and elite-level running abilities. But the production has left many questions about Fields, largely due to the 30 interceptions and 38 fumbles in his first three seasons.
Potentially spending a significant portion of the 2024 season on the bench could hinder his value next offseason, too, but it might be a scarce QB market, so Fields being the second QB on the list here makes some sense.
Then, there’s Heyward.
“Despite being 35 years old, Heyward still looks to have good years left as a rotational player,” Rosenthal writes.
The veteran is entering his 14th NFL season, wants to play three more seasons and wants to remain a one-helmet player, preferably sticking with the Steelers.
GM Omar Khan stated at the start of training camp that he expects Heyward to be with the Steelers a long time moving forward, which was certainly good news at the time. But no real movement has been made in the talks, at least any that has been reported.
The season is drawing closer and closer. Once the regular season starts, contract extension talks will cease as it’s the Steelers’ policy to not discuss contract extensions in-season. So, the clock is ticking.
As things stand right now, three key pieces for the Steelers could be hitting the open market next offseason, two of which are young pieces on the offensive side of the football. That’s concerning.
For now, we’ll wait and see what Khan and the Steelers have in store for the pieces as far as potential extensions go, at least for Freiermuth and Heyward.
