The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-structured tight end Pat Freiermuth 's contract, according to Nick Farabaugh of PennLive . The move frees up some cap space for the team this year.
"They just changed his salary into roster bonus. He's basically getting paid nearly $6M in a lump sum. It just pushed hit cap hit up in future years to give short-term relief," Farabaugh replied on X .
The Steelers have a little more room to work with now to possibly extend players like cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
The offense improved under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in 2025, but his personnel usage was still confusing. Especially with how he utilized Freiermuth. Arthur Smith continued to play Jonnu Smith even though he lacked chemistry with Aaron Rodgers all year.
Freiermuth hopes to be more involved moving forward.
"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."
Smith is now the OC at Ohio State , so Freiermuth will not have to worry about playing in his offense anymore. More opportunities should be on the horizon for Freiermuth in Mike McCarthy 's West Coast offense.
In his five-year career, Freiermuth has recorded 261 receptions for 2,676 yards (10.3 average) and 22 touchdowns.
Freiermuth signed a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension with the Steelers in September of 2024, which runs through the 2028 season. The deal included an $11.6 million total guarantee and an average annual value (AAV) of $12.1 million.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Report: Steelers Restructure Pat Freiermuth's Contract
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