Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth Shares Mike Tomlin’s Message Before Pivotal Colts Matchup
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be coming at a crossroads in their 2025 season. Although the team finds themselves in first place of the AFC North at the end of October, the Steelers have lost consecutive games. The team will also host the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 to begin November.
But there’s no panic with head coach Mike Tomlin or in the Steelers locker room. In an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports this week, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth shared that, even as the sky is falling on the outside, Tomlin is keeping his message simple to his players.
“Just staying on the same page. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be right now performance wise,” Freiermuth told Heavy Sports on Tuesday. “But we think the positive of it is everyone in the locker room shows up every single day and works their tail off to become better.
“We have a very close locker room. In situations like this, it tells a lot about the kind of guys you have in the locker room and the kind of guys you have on the team.
“We have a lot of good guys that are here for the right causes.”
The Steelers have been very active in free agency in recent years. In some ways, that’s been a breath of fresh air because it’s allowed the team to fill needs more immediately.
However, there is a potential downside to more free agency signings. It’s harder to be closer to teammates who join the organization for big money.
That’s not a problem in Pittsburgh, though, according to the veteran tight end.
Aaron Rodgers is the Right QB to Get Steelers Back on Track
The Steelers will turn to one of the biggest free agent names in the franchise’s history to try and end a two-game skid this Sunday — that’s 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In eight weeks with the Steelers, Rodgers has dispelled the poor teammate narrative the media has tagged him with throughout his career. But Freiermuth sees Rodgers’ 21 years in the NFL as one of the most important traits for the team to get back on track.
“It’s very valuable,” the tight end said of Rodgers’ experience. “I mean, No. 8’s seen it all. He’s been on Super Bowl winning teams. He’s been on 9-8 teams.
“So, for us to be able to lean on him for those experiences and him sharing in the wisdom for the young guys in the offense, it’s been big time.”
But it won’t just be Rodgers or even defensive captains T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward that will be key for the Steelers going forward. It could take all of Pittsburgh’s veteran leadership to knocked off Indianapolis, who enters Sunday with the NFL’s No. 1 offense.
Freiermuth is confident in all of the Steelers leaders.
“When you go on these kind of skids of a two-game losing streak and you need to get a bounce back win against a really good Colts team, you know you’ve got to lean on your leadership, and I think we have some very good leaders on the team,” he said.
Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth Spearheading Blood Drive Donations
Freiermuth is a leader in his own right — on and away from the football field. This fall, the tight end is battling blood shortages with the second season of “The We Give Blood Drive.”
The global health leader Abbott and the Big Ten Conference created the blood drive campaign as a competition. The Big Ten school that donates the most blood will receive $1 million from Abbott to advance student and community health initiatives.
Freiermuth is campaigning for Big Ten fans, students and alumni to donate blood. He is especially pushing for Penn State students and alumni to make donations.
The Steelers tight end played at Penn State from 2018-20.
“It’s super big because there’s a blood shortage,” Freiermuth said. “Every two seconds in the United States, people need blood. So this is obviously important. With the blood shortage, I’m encouraging people to donate blood.”
Donations will be accepted through December 5. The Big Ten will announce the winning school at the conference’s championship game on December 6.
To sign up to donate blood for a particular school, visit BigTen.Org/Abbott.
Cowboys Trade for Myles Garrett Just Got a Lot More Likely After New Report
A notable NFL insider has offered up a detailed explanation for why the Dallas Cowboys making a blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett in the next week is very realistic.
After the Cleveland Browns gave superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett a four-year extension worth $160 million earlier this year, it seemed even more likely that the six-time Pro Bowler would actually finish his career in Cleveland. Then Week 8 happened.
On Sunday, Garrett had a game of a lifetime as he posted five sacks against the New England Patriots. However, it meant nothing as the Browns were still blown out by a score of 32-13. Garrett was seen enraged on the sidelines late in the game, and speculation grew louder that he could push for an exit like he reportedly did earlier this year.
However, many around the game believe his massive contract would make a trade very difficult. But, according to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, that may not necessarily be the case. He admits that trading Garrett now would mean a big dead cap hit to Cleveland in the years ahead. But various teams have taken on bigger cap hits while getting nothing in return.
“That’s a lot of dead money, but it’s not even close to the record,” Graziano writes. “The Broncos took on about $80 million when they cut Russell Wilson last year, and they made the playoffs last season and look poised to do so again. The Buccaneers are still carrying Tom Brady’s dead money and they won their division every season. We see teams do this more and more as the salary cap continues to rise significantly each year.”
Cowboys could create perfect draft scenario for Browns in Myles Garrett trade
Along with that, Graziano added that there are two other key factors in a potential trade before the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline. First, Garrett has to want it. Considering the Browns’ long-term outlook and where he would go in the deal, waiving his no-trade clause shouldn’t be a big problem. But Cleveland also must get an offer that makes it worth taking on all that dead money.
Well, the Cowboys are one of the few teams that can make the sort of offer the Browns would want, and that is two first-round picks in April, according to Graziano. After the Micah Parsons trade, they will have two first-rounders in 2026, and following his exit, they still have a desperate need for pass-rushing help this season and beyond.
- Myles Garrett stats: 8 games, 10 sacks, 31 tackles, 15 tackles for loss
“Cleveland would be looking at the possibility of having four first-round selections in the 2026 draft,” Graziano wrote. “The Browns would be able to completely control Round 1 and come out of it with whichever quarterback they wanted. The acquiring team would have to pay Garrett a fairly reasonable $31.5 million in fully guaranteed money in 2026 and about $30.5 million in 2027.”
Based on those details, it sure seems like a blockbuster Myles Garrett trade for the Dallas Cowboys is there for the taking if the star pass rusher really wants out. Especially since the Browns could have a franchise-changing draft next year from what they could get in the deal.
