Tight end Pat Freiermuth is coming off the worst numbers of his three NFL seasons. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers intend to keep him around, reaching agreement with Freiermuth on a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension.
Last season, Freiermuth caught 32 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He was limited to 12 games (and nine starts) due to a hamstring injury. For his career, Freiermuth has 155 receptions for 1,537 yards and 11 scores. He was the Steelers’ 2021 second-round pick (No. 55 overall) out of Penn State.
Freiermuth, 25, was going into the final year of his rookie contract with Pittsburgh, for which he’s set to be paid $1.5 million. There was some urgency to get a new deal worked out with the Steelers having a policy of not negotiating contracts during the season. With the team scheduled to leave for its Week 1 matchup at Atlanta on Saturday, that set an unofficial deadline.
News of Freiermuth’s new contract was a hit with his teammates. Fellow tight end MyCole Pruitt joked “Pat’s buying everyone shoes,” while quarterback Justin Fields teased Freiermuth about buying dinner for the entire offensive unit, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Despite the down year, Freiermuth is expected to have strong production in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s system. That may be especially true with George Pickens being the Steelers’ only proven receiver.
While Smith coached tight ends and later became the OC with the Tennessee Titans, Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith had the best years of their respective careers. And Kyle Pitts had a Pro Bowl rookie season in Smith’s first year as Atlanta Falcons head coach.
Freiermuth joins veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward in getting a new contract from the Steelers. Earlier this week, Heyward agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with the team.