It was a storyline the entire 2025 season. Most Pittsburgh Steelers pundits argued throughout the campaign that the team was underutilizing veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth.
The 27-year-old never complained during the season. A day after their 30-6 postseason loss to the Houston Texans, though, Freiermuth finally voiced his displeasure.
“I would say I’m disappointed in the lack of opportunities I was given,” Freiermuth told reporters, via PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh.
The tight end caught one pass for 18 yards on three targets in the postseason defeat. Freiermuth didn’t see a target until the fourth quarter despite the Steelers offense severely struggling to move the ball.
Freiermuth finished the regular season with 54 targets. That set a new career low for a 17-game season and was 24 fewer than what he received during 2024.
In 2023, Freiermuth had 47 targets in just 12 games.
With his 54 targets, he had 41 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season.
Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth Voices Frustration With 2025 Role
Most Steelers pundits and fans were so disappointed with Freiermuth’s 2025 role that the reaction to tight end’s comment Tuesday was more positive.
It also helped that Freiermuth suggested how much he wants to be a good teammate and be in Pittsburgh.
“I’m a Steeler. I wanna be here,” Freiermuth concluded to reporters Tuesday. “I wanna see this thing through.”
Freiermuth posted five catches for 111 receiving yards with two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. But other than that, he didn’t have another performance with more than 63 yards.
Freiermuth became a little more part of the Steelers offense during the final two regular season games. That was because in Week 17, fellow tight end Darnell Washington exited with a broken arm.
But most pundits agreed Tuesday that Freiermuth needed to be a bigger part of the Steelers wild card game plan to pull off the upset against the Texans.
Will Steelers Part With TE Jonnu Smith?
In his third season, Washington took snaps away from Freiermuth during 2025. But so did Jonnu Smith, who the Steelers acquired in a trade from the Miami Dolphins over the summer.
Smith had previously experience with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The tight end played for Arthur Smith with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons.
Simply put, Arthur Smith appeared to favor Jonnu Smith when he should have been giving more snaps and targets to Freiermuth.
Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders detailed how badly Jonnu played during his first season in Pittsburgh.
“Jonnu Smith was the worst TE in the NFL in yards per target, not only this year, but over the last six years,” Saunders wrote on X Tuesday.
“He was also, per PFF, the third-worst run blocker this season.
“Pat Freiermuth had career lows in snaps and targets per game.
“Every time Jonnu Smith stepped on the field this season, the Steelers had a better option, and they never bothered to correct it.”
He was also, per PFF, the third-worst run blocker this season.
Pat Freiermuth had career lows in snap and targets per game.
Every time Jonnu Smith stepped on the field
Freiermuth will likely have a new quarterback throwing him passes in 2025. That’s not ideal, and was something else the tight end addressed in front of the media Tuesday.
But for the first time in his NFL career, Freiermuth will also play for a new coaching staff. In all likelihood, that will be a good thing for him.
Hopefully, the next Steelers head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback will do a much better job of giving Freiermuth chances to fulfill his potential.
Pat Freiermuth Puts Steelers on Notice After Disappointing Role in 2025