Behind the Steel Curtain
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth could be found more easily on a milk carton than on a football field through the team’s first five games. The veteran had just eight catches for 76 yards ahead of the black and gold’s Thursday night contest against the Bengals.
But his quiet start to the season quickly came to a halt. He led the team with five catches for 111 yards and two TDs against Cincy, and in doing so, he became the team’s first tight end to have over 100 yards receiving and two TDs in the same game since Elbie Nickel in 1953.
Many speculated that QB Aaron Rodgers prefers the larger Darnell Washington, who has seen his snap count rise over the first handful of weeks. Regardless, Freiermuth’s quarterback had some high praise during his meeting with the media yesterday.
“If you’re not getting targets and you’re a high money guy, it’s got to be tough on the psyche, on the confidence,” said Rodgers. “But Pat never bitched about anything. He never made it about him.”
Freiermuth signed a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension on September 6th, 2024. He’s currently the 9th highest-paid tight end in the league in terms of average annual value (AAV).
His breakthrough game could be a huge boost to the Steelers’ offense – and Freiermuth deserves plenty of credit for staying even keel.
