The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an eventful offseason so far. After hiring new head coach Mike McCarthy and bringing along an almost entirely new coaching staff, general manager Omar Khan and the front office beefed up the roster through free agency, patching most of the team's biggest roster holes.
Khan's aggressiveness early in his fourth offseason as the Steelers' GM is nothing new. Last year, he traded for DK Metcalf before eventually trading with Miami for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. But with 12 draft picks at hand in the 2026 NFL Draft, perhaps the Steelers could go the other direction.
In a recent article from Pro Football Focus, John Kosko outlines every team's most valuable trade asset. For the Steelers, Kosko pointed to veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Freiermuth, a 2021 second-round pick, recorded at least 60 receptions in three of his first four NFL seasons before taking a backseat in a reduced role alongside Smith and Darnell Washington in 2025.
PFF suggests that the Steelers could trade Freiermuth and use the capital acquired to address the left side of the offensive line or the linebacker position. But a potential trade likely wouldn't sit well with many Steelers fans.
Trading Pat Freiermuth would be counterproductive to the Pittsburgh Steelers' clear objective
Last year, Freiermuth drew trade buzz near the deadline, as the underutilized tight end couldn't get on the field or carve out a significant share of the passing attack with any sort of consistency. Though the Steelers made the wise choice to move on from Jonnu Smith, Washington is coming off a breakout campaign and could see a lion's share of the workload in 2025.
Meanwhile, with a dozen draft picks on the dock, the Steelers could draft youth at tight end while saving money. But this philosophy won't fly when Pittsburgh is clearly trying to win now.
The Steelers have the second-oldest roster in the NFL after the first wave of free agency, in terms of snap-weighted age—trailing only the Washington Commanders. With an aging Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Jalen Ramsey—and with a belief that Aaron Rodgers will return for a final season—McCarthy is making it clear that he wants to win now.
Trading away a quality starter-capable tight end who can help in the passing game would feel detrimental to the cause.
Likewise, the Steelers are suddenly thin at the position. Not only did the front office release Jonnu Smith, but Connor Heyward, the team's fourth tight end last year, signed with the Las Vegas Raiders shortly after hitting the free agent market.
Trading Freiermuth wouldn't be worth it in terms of draft capital gained, either. Though he's on a reasonable contract with his guarantees already paid by the Steelers, Pittsburgh would likely only fetch a fourth-round pick, at best, for his services.
Pat Freiermuth is a player most Steelers fans want to see more involved on offense, and he could finally get that chance with Mike McCarthy. The last thing the fanbase wants is for the team to trade their former second-round pick away for pennies.