Who Should I Start? James Hurst or Pat Freiermuth

Wednesday, April 24, 4:18 PM

Veteran offensive tackle James Hurst announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, marking the end of a 10-year professional career. The 32-year-old was originally undrafted out of North Carolina in the 2014 class and signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent. He spent six seasons with Baltimore before four campaigns with the New Orleans Saints. Hurst played in 150 games with 95 starts, so he clearly exceeded expectations and is a feel-good story for undrafted prospects.

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.