Who Should I Start? Eli Wolf or Pat Freiermuth

Saturday, February 3, 1:13 PM

The New England Patriots named Jerod Mayo as the successor to former head coach Bill Belichick, but they have yet to name a new general manager. Mayo began reaching out to candidates shortly after he was hired, and it seems likely a new voice will be added to the personnel department, but that role or title is still anyone's guess. In-house candidates Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh have been under consideration. If Wolf is running the show, the Patriots are expected to give a long, hard look at drafting a left tackle with the third overall pick this year. It's an attractive job opening, as the new GM will have a blank slate with a first-time head coach and an owner, Robert Kraft, who is highly regarded by league executives. For the last 24 years, Belichick has been making all personnel decisions for the Patriots.

Thursday, April 4, 2:16 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth said on the Around the 412 podcast on Wednesday that he wants "to be in Pittsburgh for the rest of my career" as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. He missed five games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury, but overall his numbers declined from the previous two seasons. Subpar quarterback play didn't help, and the 25-year-old former second-round pick in 2021 out of Penn State caught a career-low 32 passes for 308 yards and only two touchdowns in 12 regular season games (nine starts). In new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense, Freiermuth could have a bounce-back campaign in 2024 and will be a nice sleeper target in fantasy drafts this fall.