Almost more surprising than seeing a blockbuster NFL trade that included multiple former All-Pro players was the Miami Dolphins' trade for Darren Waller. New York Giants fans haven't given a second thought to the formerly retired tight end in roughly a year, but Joe Schoen was able to get some draft capital out of a player who never would have suited up for the Giants again.
However, the Giants' recent trade is a painful reminder of the dismal state of their tight end position. But Schoen is just one phone call away from a potential fix.
The reason the Dolphins traded for Waller—who hasn't participated in so much as a practice since 2023—is because Miami sent their Pro Bowl tight end, Jonnu Smith, to Pittsburgh in the trade that involved Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In 2024, Smith quietly recorded 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns en route to earning Pro Bowl honors. The veteran also earned a top-five PFF grade for his outstanding performance last season, and he proved to be the lone Pro Bowler on the Dolphins' roster in 2024.
So where do the Giants come in to play?
With Smith packing his bags for Pittsburgh, the Steelers suddenly have a surplus of talent a the tight end position. Pittsburgh's deep group of options now includes Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward. Though offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves his tight ends, the Steelers may be willing to part with one after securing Smith... and there's a player Schoen should already be on the phone asking about.
The New York Giants should trade for Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: the New York Giants are in a tough spot financially. According to Over the Cap, this front office is barely keeping its head above water with just over $3.8 million in cap space. This seems to suggest that a trade is highly unlikely, but there are some simple ways to make this work.
The first would be with a routine contract restructuring. Restructuring Andrew Thomas' deal that he signed in 2023, for instance, would instantly free up over $12.5 million. The Giants could also save an instant $3.6 million by cutting Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
Landing Freiermuth would give the Giants a significant upgrade over the lackluster combination of Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger. Though Freiermuth is average at best as a blocker, he recorded at least 60 receptions in three of four seasons. The only time he fell short of this mark was in 2023 when he played only 12 games after dealing with concussions and soft tissue injuries.
Even after recording 65 receptions for 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, Freiermuth was underutilized in Pittsburgh's passing offense last season after catching a whopping 83.3 percent of targets in his direction. When targeted last year, quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson combined for a stellar passer rating of 126.1.
Freiermuth is a quarterback's best friend. He already has chemistry with Wilson, and he could prove to be a security blanket for when rookie Jaxson Dart inevitably sees the field.
With a group of underwhelming pass catchers outside of Malik Nabers, Pat Freiermuth would easily be the second-most reliable receiving threat on the team the moment he walks through the door. There's no guarantee the Pittsburgh Steelers will be willing to trade him, but Joe Schoen has no excuse not to make the phone call to Omar Khan.