Steelers Insider Drops Bombshell That Links Aaron Rodgers To Pat Freiermuth Being Ignored In 2025

A lot of interesting storylines that were supposed to be a big part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 offseason have somewhat gotten buried because of Mike Tomlin's resignation. The main goal currently for the organization is finding a new leader that can take the roster to the next level. That would ideally mean winning multiple playoff games, rather than falling short in the first round. Whoever is hired will have plenty of decisions to make regarding the depth chart, as a lot of money is tied up in the defense, and the offense lacks a franchise quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers did a respectable job under center while playing in the Steel City. Nothing has been reported just yet about his future, but it's possible that he could return to the Steelers for one more go around. The veteran won't be able to wait until June to make a decision in 2026 because the new head coach will want to start planning for the season much further in advance.

While reviews coming from the locker room were overwhelmingly positive, there were plenty of head-scratching moments throughout Pittsburgh's 2025 campaign. One of the biggest mysteries was the lack of targets for tight end Pat Freiermuth. Arguably the offense's second-best weapon in the passing game, he only had 486 receiving yards on 54 targets. 

It seemed relatively low, especially because not many other pass-catchers wanted to step up outside of DK Metcalf and Kenneth Gainwell. On Friday, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly spoke a little bit about Freiermuth's inconsitencies on The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller. A lot of the blame has been placed on Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, but the reporter has a different theory.

"It could have been Aaron, man," Kaboly noted. "If Aaron wanted to throw him the ball, he would have thrown him the ball, and he had a lot of pull."

Kaboly makes a good point. A lot of fans have wanted to blame Smith, but Rodgers occasionally found Freiermuth wide open. If he truly wanted the tight end involved more, he could have simply told the coaching staff, and it likely would have come to fruition, as Kaboly noted.

"Don't you think if Aaron really wanted him out there, he'd just say, 'Hey Art, he's coming out there man,' and Art would be like, 'Okay.'" Kaboly said. "Wouldn't you think that that would be a conversation?"

It's fair to note that there is a very strong possibility that neither Rodgers nor Smith will be present in 2026 when it comes to Steelers football. If Freiermuth doesn't request a trade because of the frustrating campaign, then the hope is that the new starting signal-caller and offensive coordinator will force-feed him the ball a lot more often moving forward.

Freiermuth, a former second-round pick, is paid like one of the better and more impactful tight ends in all of football. He had some splash plays in 2025, but didn't come anywhere close to exceeding expectations. It's clear that someone didn't want him as involved, but now the interesting discussion becomes if that was Smith, Rodgers, or a combination of both.

Steelers Will Likely Target Dynamic Pass-Catcher Early In 2026 NFL Draft

Pittsburgh will need to figure out its future quarterback plan sooner rather than later, but the team is also desperate for someone to pair with Metcalf. If the organization can take a wide receiver very early on — and perhaps even in the first round — when the draft occurs in the Steel City, an entirely new offense could be formed, regardless who is under center. Metcalf and the newcomer would then open the door for someone like Freiermuth to have a true breakout year in 2026.

Do you think that Rodgers could have potentially had something against Freiermuth? Let us know in the comments below!

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