Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth reveals hilarious way he learned team added Russell Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth opened up last week about his team signing not one, but two new quarterbacks in free agency. The former second-rounder obviously wasn’t on the list of personnel in the know about the Steelers’ front-office moves, so he found out about the team signing Russell Wilson second-hand.
Freiermuth said on the Around The 412 podcast that he learned who his new quarterback would be while he was snoozing.
“My girlfriend woke me up and said, ‘You guys got Russell Wilson.’ So that’s how I found out,” Freiermuth said.
Alas, the tight end was not dreaming. The new Steelers quarterback quickly arranged a workout with him and fellow newcomer Van Jefferson. The trio met up in sunny San Diego to put in some offseason work before voluntary workouts in Pittsburgh begin later this month.
“I was just down there in San Diego with him working out and throwing routes,” Freiermuth said. “He’s been great at talking to guys and starting to build that connection. He’s a great guy. You can tell the drive and determination that he has to win and come to Pittsburgh and win some playoff games for us.”
Russell Wilson isn’t the only new face in the Steelers’ QB room this offseason. The team also added former first-rounder Justin Fields from the Bears. They gave up a 2025 sixth-round pick that could turn into a fourth-rounder based on Fields’ playing time this season.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about him and he’s a hell of a quarterback,” Freiermuth said of Fields.
Freiermuth in contract year with Steelers
Freiermuth, a second-round pick in 2021 out of Penn State, is entering the final year of his rookie deal this season. A great season this year could land him a major long-term contract, which he hopes is the outcome because he’d like to stay put for years to come.
“I want to be in Pittsburgh for the rest of my career,” Freiermuth said. “Hopefully it shakes out that way. I want to continue to play for Pittsburgh because it reminds me of where I’m from and how I was raised. So, hopefully it shakes out the way that I want it to in the next coming year or whenever that may be.”
A hamstring injury caused the former Nittany Lions star to miss five games. The missed games caused him to notch some career lows, including just 32 catches, 308 receiving yards and two touchdowns.