Week 1 Comment From Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Seriously Coming Back To Bite Him

The Pittsburgh Steelers are certainly content with entering the Week 5 bye at the top of the AFC North. Regardless of what happens within the division, Mike Tomlin's bunch will remain in first place while it prepares for a Week 6 contest against the Cleveland Browns. It should give fans in the Steel City comfort that the team hasn't come anywhere close to playing its best, but sits in the driver's seat in October. A lot will need to improve for the franchise to be considered a contender; however, the good news is that there is still plenty of season left.

It was fair to be skeptical when the Steelers heavily pursued Aaron Rodgers during the 2025 offseason. The 41-year-old waited until June to sign, but has played a respectable brand of football through four weeks. The offensive line is slightly improving and the offense had its best rushing game of the year in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings.

There has been a little bit of a mystery on the offensive side of the ball, however. While players like DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III have started the year off relatively strong, the tight end room has been pretty absent. It's a bit of a head-scratcher because of how much Rodgers praised the unit just days prior to the organization's Week 1 game versus the New York Jets. He labeled the positional group as the best he has ever been around throughout his 21-year NFL career.

"I think it's the best tight end room that I've been around in 21 years," Rodgers said. "You have four extremely capable guys."

Those comments were exciting at the time, but now members of the media are questioning why that was even said given the lack of production, especially from Pat Freiermuth. Mark Kaboly joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Friday evening, and didn't mince words when discussing the interesting nature of how the tight ends have been utilized.

"You really can't criticize [Freiermuth] at all for the Vikings game because he just wasn't a part of what they wanted to do offensively in that game. Maybe if Calvin Austin is out for a week or two, [Freiermuth] will be able to jump in there and pick up some of that slack. Only thing that's been missing, I do think, from this offense has been, 'The best tight end room I've ever seen,' quoting Aaron Rodgers."

It's no secret that Freiermuth has been absent. Jonnu Smith managed to score a touchdown in Week 1, but only has 14 catches for 71 yards. Freiermuth has hauled in just 14 passes for 65 yards. Darnell Washington has three receptions, and Connor Heyward only has one. Those numbers aren't necessarily encouraging given the nature of the Steelers' offense.

It's hard to complain with a record of 3-1, but something is going on with the Steelers' tight ends that can't quite be figured out just yet. Freiermuth and Smith are two incredibly talented players, but it seems as if they have taken a backseat to other individuals on offense. What's the most shocking is that Freiermuth has actually played less than 50% of the offensive snaps. Washington and Smith are both slightly over that mark.

It's not always favorable to have an early bye week, but it might be what Pittsburgh needs to get the tight ends involved more schematically. It's been known in recent seasons that Tomlin does not like to throw the ball over the middle of the field, but the duo that isn't getting enough looks would gladly trust the veteran in Rodgers to thread the needle in any and all situations.

Steelers Have An Opportunity To Make Big Statement In October

With the rest of the AFC North struggling and decimated by injuries, Pittsburgh could end up without much worry after Halloween rolls around. It is nice to start the month off with a break after a big win in Ireland, but the key will be not playing down to inferior opponents. One way to take advantage of the next few games is to open up the offense, and the Steelers' tight ends absolutely need to be in the mix more often, or Rodgers' Week 1 comments will continue to look bad.

Do you think that the Steelers will use Freiermuth and Smith more moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

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