Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is not quite off to his breakout season after his big contract extension. In three games, he has 12 receptions for 99 yards, to which he contributed exactly one third yesterday. Against the Chargers, he caught—you guessed it—four passes on the day for 33 yards.
That is no thanks to his unfortunate drop at the end of the first half, Freiermuth’s first drop since 2022. With 19 seconds left in the second quarter, QB Justin Fields threaded a lovely ball in his direction that would have likely put the Steelers on Los Angeles’ 35 or thereabouts.
While he had S Derwin James trailing in his hip pocket, it doesn’t appear he affected the ball. “I just dropped it”, Freiermuth admitted, via the Steelers’ website. “That was ridiculous by me. I should have caught that. I’m paid to make those plays, so I’ve got to learn from that and make that play next time”.
Freiermuth has shown good hands throughout his career, on the whole, a generally reliable target. While this wasn’t the easiest catch, he knows it is the type of play he needs to make. That is, quite literally, why they pay him, and much more than they used to.
Shortly before the start of the regular season, the Steelers announced a four-year, $48.4 million extension for Pat Freiermuth. That averages $12.1 million a year in new money over four years, for those who struggle to mathify. That is also a figure that put him in the top 10 at his position in salary, ahead of Dalton Schultz.
The Steelers ultimately failed to connect on a 62-yard Chris Boswell field goal attempt at the end of that series. After the Freiermuth drop, they only picked up six yards, so that was a consequential error, likely costing the team three points.
As I mentioned, and as you can see in the replay, the Steelers would have likely wound up near the Chargers’ 35 had Freiermuth completed the catch. They had no timeouts remaining, so they would have had to run up and spike the ball. But that would have been a makable 53-yarder or so. Even for Boswell, 62 yards is not exactly a gimme.
Nor, to Freiermuth’s credit, was that catch, but, again, professionals don’t get excuses. Especially not ones who are highly compensated to perform at a high level. He didn’t make that play, but there will be other opportunities to make a difference.
So far, the Steelers have managed to win their games despite the occasional miscue. They are close to a truly complete game, but they are not quite there yet. The defense is, arguably, and perhaps even the special teams. But the offense, even without demerits like Pat Freiermuth’s drop, is still a step or two away.
