Player
Pat Freiermuth
TE
As a 2021 2nd-round pick out of Penn State, Freiermuth was drafted to be a possession TE who finishes drives. The bookend 7-TD seasons (rookie and Year 4) bracket a 2022-23 stretch where TD volume cratered to 2-per-year despite stable target share — a pattern that ties red-zone usage to play-caller (Canada vs. Smith) more than to him.
5-year career, all with Pittsburgh. Steady TE1 production with two 7-TD seasons (2021, 2024).
TrendFreiermuth regular-season production by year
| Year | G | Rec | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 (rookie) | 16 | 60 | 497 | 7 |
| 2022 | 15 | 63 | 732 | 2 |
| 2023 | 11 | 32 | 308 | 2 |
| 2024 | 17 | 65 | 653 | 7 |
| 2025 | 15 | 41 | 486 | 4 |
Receiving TDs by year
| Season | TDs |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 |
Why it matters. As a 2021 2nd-round pick out of Penn State, Freiermuth was drafted to be a possession TE who finishes drives. The bookend 7-TD seasons (rookie and Year 4) bracket a 2022-23 stretch where TD volume cratered to 2-per-year despite stable target share — a pattern that ties red-zone usage to play-caller (Canada vs. Smith) more than to him.
Career line: 261 receptions, 2,676 yards, 22 TDs in 74 games.
SplitCareer regular-season totals through 2025
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Games | 74 |
| Receptions | 261 |
| Receiving Yards | 2,676 |
| Receiving TDs | 22 |
| Y/R | 10.25 |
| TD/G | 0.30 |
Why it matters. A 0.30 TD/game rate across 74 games is the floor profile a possession TE is drafted for — Freiermuth is delivering the red-zone trust the Steelers paid a 2nd-round pick for, even though 10.25 yards/reception keeps him out of the seam-stretcher tier (Kelce/LaPorta range 11-13).
Among 2021 TE rookies, Freiermuth's career production trails only Kyle Pitts.
Comparison2021 rookie TEs career production
| Player | Pick | Career Yds | Career TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Pitts | 4 | 3,579 | 15 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 55 | 2,676 | 22 |
| Noah Gray | 162 | 1,255 | 9 |
| Tommy Tremble | 83 | 1,031 | 11 |
Why it matters. The 2021 TE class was led by Pitts at #4 with first-round expectations; Freiermuth at #55 was a Day-2 call on reliability. Five years in, Pitts has more yards but Freiermuth has 7 more career TDs on roughly 70% of Pitts's yardage — exactly the trade-off (red-zone finisher vs. seam threat) the Steelers wanted from a mid-round TE.
He's been to the playoffs 4 times in 5 NFL seasons — all with PIT, all Wild Card losses.
SplitFreiermuth playoff appearances
| Year | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | at KC | 21-42 | WC L |
| 2023 | at BUF | 17-31 | WC L |
| 2024 | at BAL | 14-28 | WC L |
| 2025 | vs HOU | 6-30 | WC L |
Why it matters. Freiermuth's entire postseason resume is the modern Steelers paradox: consistent enough to qualify, never close enough to advance. Four straight WC exits by an average of 18 points means his playoff sample (13 catches, 134 yards, 0 TDs across 4 games) tells you almost nothing about him and everything about a team that hasn't won a postseason game since January 2017.
His 2024 7 TDs led the Steelers offense — only the second time since 2000 a PIT TE has been the team's top scorer (Heath Miller, 2012).
RarePIT 2024 offensive TD leaders
| Player | Pos | TDs |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 7 |
| Najee Harris | RB | 6 |
| Justin Fields | QB (rush) | 5 |
| Calvin Austin III | WR | 4 |
| George Pickens | WR | 3 |
Why it matters. A TE leading any team in TDs implies the offense funnels red-zone targets through 12 personnel — for PIT specifically, this is the franchise that built the position with Bennie Cunningham and Eric Green. Freiermuth tying his rookie 7 again in Year 4 puts him in a 2-name club (himself, Heath Miller) of post-2000 PIT TEs to be the team's TD leader, exactly what the 2nd-round pick on a possession TE was for.
His 2025 41 catches was a career-low for a healthy season — Aaron Rodgers's arrival shifted target distribution.
AnomalyFreiermuth catch volume by year
| Year | G | Rec | Rec/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | 60 | 3.75 |
| 2022 | 15 | 63 | 4.20 |
| 2024 | 17 | 65 | 3.82 |
| 2025 | 15 | 41 | 2.73 |
Why it matters. From 2021-24 Freiermuth's Rec/G sat in a tight 3.75-4.20 band — quintessential possession TE rhythm. The 2025 drop to 2.73/G under Rodgers isn't injury or scheme rotation (he played 15 games); it's a QB-fit issue. Rodgers historically targets X-receivers and slot WRs more than seam-running TEs, and the 24-catch crater is the on-field tax of that change.
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