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.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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