Pat Freiermuth Bio
Patrick John Freiermuth is an American professional football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 258 pounds, he wears jersey number 88 and has become a reliable target in the Steelers’ passing game since arriving as a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Known to teammates and fans simply as “Muth,” a nickname coined by the home crowd at Acrisure Stadium, he has built a reputation for dependable hands and red-zone production.
Before turning professional, Freiermuth starred at Penn State, where he set tight end records and earned Big Ten recognition. A native of Massachusetts, he comes from a deeply athletic family with deep roots in coaching and college sports. His combination of size, athleticism, and football IQ has made him one of the league’s most consistent young tight ends.
Early Life and Background
Patrick John Freiermuth was born on October 25, 1998, in Merrimac, Massachusetts, a small town in the Merrimack Valley region of the state. He grew up in a sports-minded household, with both parents connected to athletics and coaching. His father, John Freiermuth, played basketball at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and was named New Hampshire’s “Mr. Basketball” in 1988, while his mother built a long career as a history teacher and field hockey coach at North Andover High School, leading her teams to two North sectional titles before retiring from coaching in 2007.
Freiermuth began his high school career at Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, Massachusetts, before transferring to the Brooks School, a private prep school in North Andover. At Brooks, he played tight end and outside linebacker on the football team, also suiting up for the basketball squad as a power forward and small forward. He finished his prep career with 1,531 total yards and 24 total touchdowns, drawing four-star recruiting attention and a commitment to Penn State University.
His uncle, Michael Foley, was a longtime college football coach who most recently served as the offensive line coach at UMass, while his brother Tim played offensive line at Springfield College and later became a high school football coach. The family’s deep coaching connections helped shape Freiermuth’s understanding of the game from a young age, and his mother later served as president of the Penn State Football Parents Association.
Path to American Football
Freiermuth arrived at Penn State in 2018 as one of the top tight end recruits in the country, and he wasted little time making an impact. As a true freshman, he made nine starts and recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards and eight touchdowns, breaking the program record for receiving touchdowns by a freshman tight end. That breakout debut established him as a central piece of the Nittany Lions’ offense.
He remained the starting tight end for his next two seasons, earning Penn State Football’s Most Valuable Offensive Player award in 2019. Although he was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine a year early, Freiermuth declined the early evaluation and announced at a press conference with head coach James Franklin that he planned to stay at Penn State for another season. The decision paid off, as he was named the Big Ten Conference’s Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year in 2020, becoming the first Penn State tight end ever to win the award.
Across his three college seasons, Freiermuth played in 30 games, starting 26 of them, and finished with 92 career receptions for 1,185 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 16 career touchdowns tied for eighth in Penn State history overall and ranked first among tight ends in program history, cementing his status as one of the most productive tight ends in school history.
Pat Freiermuth Career
Early Career (2021)
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Freiermuth in the second round, 55th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft, using the pick to help replace the retiring tight end Vance McDonald. He signed a four-year rookie contract on May 25, 2021, and was assigned jersey number 88, a number most famously worn by Steelers Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann. Freiermuth started his first NFL game in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills and recorded his first career reception for 24 yards.
His first professional touchdown came on September 26, 2021, on a four-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He later delivered one of his best games of the season on November 8 against the Chicago Bears, catching five passes for 43 yards and two touchdowns in a 29–27 Steelers win. Despite battling two concussions during the year, he finished his rookie regular season with 60 receptions for 497 yards and seven touchdowns, then made his postseason debut in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pittsburgh Steelers Tenure (2022–Present)
In the 2022 season, Freiermuth played in 16 games, starting eight, and posted 63 receptions on 98 targets for 732 yards, setting a new career high in receiving yards. He found the end zone twice that year and continued to develop into a security blanket for the Steelers’ quarterbacks. A hamstring injury limited his 2023 campaign, sending him to injured reserve on October 21 before he returned in mid-November.
He was at his best statistically in 2023 on November 26 against the Cincinnati Bengals, catching nine passes for 120 yards in his only 100-yard game of the season. He finished the year with 32 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games, then added five receptions for 76 yards in an AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. After the season, the Steelers committed to Freiermuth long term, signing him to a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension on September 6, 2024, that runs through the 2028 season.
Freiermuth played all 17 games in 2024, finishing with 65 receptions for 653 yards and seven touchdowns as the Steelers went 10–7 and reached the playoffs as the AFC’s sixth seed. He added three catches for 15 yards in a Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In 2025, with the Steelers having added tight end Jonnu Smith in June, Freiermuth and Smith have shared the top of the depth chart. He opened the year with three catches for 23 yards in a Week 1 win over the New York Jets, then delivered his biggest performance of the season on October 16 against the Bengals, catching four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, his first multi-touchdown game since November 2021.
Driving Style and Strengths
Freiermuth is a classic in-line tight end whose game is built on physicality, dependable hands, and a strong feel for the red zone. He is a willing blocker in the run game and has the frame to shield defenders on intermediate routes, making him a natural chain-mover for the Pittsburgh offense. His chemistry with quarterbacks, whether a veteran like Aaron Rodgers or a young starter, has produced a steady stream of contested catches and scoring opportunities.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of his early career came when Steelers fans at home games began chanting “Muth,” an abbreviation of his surname, every time he gained yardage or scored, a tradition that mirrors the treatment of longtime Steelers tight end Heath Miller. He is also the first Penn State tight end to win the Kwalick–Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year award, a record that underscores his place in Nittany Lions history.
Pat Freiermuth Career Wins
While the tight end position is not measured in traditional “wins” like a race or tournament, Freiermuth’s career achievements are tracked through receptions, yards, touchdowns, and team success. Through the early portion of the 2025 season, he had compiled 261 receptions for 2,676 receiving yards and 22 receiving touchdowns across his NFL career, along with three postseason appearances with the Steelers.
NFL Highlights
Freiermuth’s first NFL touchdown came on a four-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in September 2021, and his most recent score came on a 19-yard reception from Aaron Rodgers in October 2025. He has reached the postseason in 2021, 2023, and 2024, including a Wild Card game against the Kansas City Chiefs in his rookie year and a trip to the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 postseason.
| Season | Games | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | 60 | 497 | 7 |
| 2022 | 16 | 63 | 732 | 2 |
| 2023 | 12 | 32 | 308 | 2 |
| 2024 | 17 | 65 | 653 | 7 |
Other Performances
At the college level, Freiermuth earned First-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020 and Second-team All-Big Ten recognition in 2019, along with the Kwalick–Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year award in 2020. He also set the Penn State record for receiving touchdowns by a freshman tight end in 2018 and finished his college career ranked first in program history for career touchdowns by a tight end.
Pat Freiermuth Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Freiermuth’s family has strong ties to both basketball and football coaching. His father, John Freiermuth, played college basketball at St. Anselm and was named New Hampshire’s “Mr. Basketball” in 1988, while his mother coached field hockey at North Andover High School for fifteen seasons, compiling a 147–85–66 record. His uncle, Michael Foley, is a longtime college football coach who has served as the offensive line coach at UMass, and his brother Tim played offensive line at Springfield College before becoming a high school football coach.
Personal Life
Freiermuth grew up in Merrimac, Massachusetts, and continues to be identified strongly with his New England roots despite his professional career in Pittsburgh. He attended the Brooks School in North Andover for his final years of high school, an experience that helped prepare him for the academic and athletic demands of Penn State and the NFL.
2025 Season Performance
Freiermuth entered 2025 sharing the top of the Steelers’ tight end depth chart with Jonnu Smith, who arrived in a trade from the Miami Dolphins in June 2025. He opened the year with a start in Pittsburgh’s 34–32 win over the New York Jets in Week 1, catching three passes for 23 yards in a balanced offensive attack. Through the early weeks, he remained a steady contributor as the Steelers continued to feature a tight-end-friendly scheme.
His most explosive outing came on October 16 in a Thursday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium, when he caught a 19-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers and finished as Pittsburgh’s leading receiver with four catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. That game marked his first multi-touchdown performance since November 8, 2021, and signaled that he remains a focal point of the passing game even with Smith also commanding targets.
Looking ahead, Freiermuth is signed through the 2028 season after his four-year, $48.4 million extension, giving Pittsburgh long-term stability at the position. With his blocking, route running, and red-zone reliability, he is expected to remain a central piece of the Steelers’ offense and a key figure in their push for another AFC North title and a deeper playoff run.
