Muuth! You’d better get used to hearing that one, as the Steelers have resigned tight end Pat Freiermuth. This is Freiermuth’s second contract which essentially tears up the final year on his rookie deal and adds four more years to the tune of 49.88 million dollars, or 48.4 than he was set to earn on his current contract.
The Steelers drafted Freiermuth out of Penn State in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then he has logged 155 receptions for 1537 yards including 3 touchdowns. Since his arrival in Pittsburgh, Freiermuth has been one of the most consistent members of the Steelers offense, despite having a down year in 2023, when injuries limited him to 32 catches and just 2 touchdowns.
Focused Pat Freiermuth scores the go ahead touchdown. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
However, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s new scheme has been described as “tight end centric” and it would seem to favor Frierermuth. The Steelers were expected to resign Freiermuth, but the 5 year length of his contract amounts to a bit of a surprise given his concussion history. Freiermuth suffered two concussions as a rookie and a third during his second season.
Steelers Done with Contracts Until January
The Steelers signed Cam Heyward earlier in the week and with Freiermuth’s deal signed, Omar Khan will put all contract wheeling and dealing on ice until the off season. Since 1993 the Steelers have had a no-negotiation policy during the regular season and that will likely continue as long as the Rooneys control the team.
There had been speculation – although that may have just been fans wanting this to happen as opposed to any seriously sourced reports — that the Steelers might resign Jaylen Warren, but that will not happen now.
Freiermuth is the first member of the Steelers 2021 draft class to get a second contract, and he may very well be the only one. Najee Harris is a free agent, and did not have his 5th year option picked up. With Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu working on rookie deals, Dan Moore is unlikely to get a second contract from the Steelers, although he is their best tackle at this point.
Isaiahh Loudermilk is the only other member of that draft class left on the team.
Finally, by waiting days before the season opener, Omar Khan has reverted to following Kevin Colbert’s policy of holding off on signing deals until the end of the summer. During his first two years as general manager, Khan inked new contracts with Diontae Johnson, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Chris Boswell in July.
It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues in the summer of 2025.
