After a down season largely due to usage, is Pat Freiermuth in for a big bounce-back season? That’s what Max Starks believes the Steelers need. Discussing the upcoming season on SiriusXM Radio recently, he picked the tight end as his breakout candidate. Or perhaps more of a comeback candidate, in his case.
“I would love to see the reemergence of Pat Freiermuth”, Starks said. “I feel like the last couple years, that role’s kind of diminished. We could argue OC issues or whatever, but I think Pat Freiermuth is probably a guy I’m looking to have a breakout year. This is the swansong for Aaron Rodgers”.
As recently as 2024, Pat Freiermuth was a significant contributor in a run-first offense. Despite the heavy emphasis on the run, he caught 65 passes for 653 yards and 7 touchdowns. After the Steelers traded for Jonnu Smith last year, however, the new target greatly impeded Freiermuth’s playing time.
Logging just 522 snaps for a career-low 51-percent snap rate, Pat Freiermuth saw just 54 targets all season. He caught 41 for 486 yards and 4 touchdowns. One breakout game against the Bengals and a late-season surge made possible by offensive injuries boosted his numbers compared to what the typical game would represent. But he’s hoping and believing that Mike McCarthy’s offense will provide more opportunities.
“I think a guy that is a known commodity, that’s been in this offense and has been tamped down a little bit, I would love to see him reemerge and be that breakout player”, Max Starks said of Freiermuth. “I would love to see that Pat Freiermuth back, so that’s why I would probably pick him as my breakout guy for the year”.
With a new coaching staff, there are certainly details left to work out. Training camp will likely dictate how the Steelers feel their base packages should look, and with how many tight ends. HC Mike McCarthy is a fan of both Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, so we could see a good dose of 12 personnel. Especially early on, while the new wide receivers settle into the offense.
The thing is, the Steelers are paying both Freiermuth and Washington good money. Not that they aren’t also paying premiums for DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. Quite frankly, Pittsburgh has surrounded Aaron Rodgers with a bevy of options at the skill positions. You can even cite Jaylen Warren at running back, who is a threat after the catch.
Because of this, I don’t know that there will necessarily be a “breakout” skill player this year, but rather more of a collective effort from multiple position groups. But it really depends on with whom Rodgers builds trust. He did talk up Freiermuth quite a bit last year and repeatedly publicly campaigned for him to see more playing time. If that rapport grows in Year 2, then perhaps the tight end could be in for a career year. Up to now, he’s just been a very workmanlike, no-nonsense player.
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