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Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth 'disappointed' with his 'lack of opportunities' on offense

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones01/19/26brianjones_93

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth wished he made more of an impact with the Steelers during the 2025 season. Shortly after the Steelers lost to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round of the playoffs, Freiermuth detailed his frustration with the Steelers’ offense.

“I would say that I am disappointed with the lack of opportunities I was given, but at the end of the day, I’m a team player, and I was proud of myself for not making it about myself,” Freiermuth said, per Chris Ward of SteelersNow. Freiermuth finished the year with 41 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns. The 27-year-old played in more than 50 percent of the snaps and split time with Darnell Washington (53 percent of snaps) and Jonnu Smith (52 percent). Freiermuth had the upper hand on Washington and Smith when it came to receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Moving forward, Pat Freiermuth wants to be more involved in the Steelers’ offense. “It’s always about the team and what we can do to win,” Freiermuth said. “I feel like I could have been in situations where I could help the team win more. But the longer I’m here, I would like to see myself involved more.”

Pat Freiermuth reveals another thing that is ‘frustrating’

The Steelers selected Freiermuth in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His best season was in 2022 when he caught 63 passes for 732 yards and two touchdowns on 98 targets. It was the only time in Freiermuth’s career that he had been targeted over 80 times.

It will be interesting to see how the Steelers use Freiermuth as the coaching staff will be different since Mike Tomlin has stepped down has head coach. Arthur Smith was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, but he is currently interviewing with different teams for the same position.

Another thing to watch for is the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent in March, meaning it’s possible the Steelers could have a new starting QB in 2026.

“Pretty tough, especially as a pass-catcher,” Freiermuth said about possibly having a new quarterback next season. “I think it’s going to be 10 quarterbacks in six years. It’s pretty frustrating.”