The Pittsburgh Steelers are magical in the sense that they can capture the full range of emotions from their Black and Gold faithful—especially when it pertains to fan-favorite players leaving the Steel City.
One of the most iconic Pittsburgh photographs of two teammates spending their final moments on the field together dates back to January 10, 2021: the day Steelers legends C Maurkice Pouncey and Ben Roethlisberger played their last snap together.
The Steelers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Browns, and the two shared an emotional moment, forever captured by the photograph seen below:
Ben Roethlisberger will be having Pouncey on his podcast. This should be interesting. Hope they discuss the moment below. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/oYQzOugMfX
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) November 28, 2022
Fans hoping for some time between similarly emotional moments might have their hearts broken, as RB Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth shared a similar heart-to-heart with one another following the Wild-Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
While Freiermuth is under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2028 season, Harris is scheduled to hit free agency in 2025—making an impending split between these draft classmates and close friends seem likely.
Their moment is eerily similar to what Roethlisberger and Pouncey experienced: from the Wild-Card loss to an AFC North rival, to their potential final game together, and to the photo, as seen below with Harris and Freiermuth:
Regardless of your feelings about them as players or the state of the team, this was a poignant moment after watching these two interact day in and day out the last four years. The end of the road. pic.twitter.com/4Zfix6a2Gr
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) January 15, 2025
If Harris truly leaves this offseason, I think I speak for every Steelers fan when I say: thank you, Najee, for an incredible four years.
