Steelers GM Omar Khan surprised by overhaul of QB room, happy with new additions

ORLANDO, Fla. — Omar Khan calls himself a patient person, which makes the two sudden trades the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second-year general manager completed at the outset of NFL free agency contradict that personality trait.

In a two-day span — which followed the Russell Wilson signing a few days earlier — Khan sent starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, then turned around and acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.

To think that less than a month ago, when Khan spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine, Pickett was still in line to start for the Steelers, and Khan was trying to bring back Mason Rudolph to provide competition. Now, neither of those quarterbacks — nor veteran Mitch Trubisky — are with the Steelers.

“Am I surprised?” Khan said Monday at the NFL annual meeting. “If you’d have told me a month ago when we spoke in Indy that a month later Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks …”

Khan paused, then chuckled.

“I’d say, yeah, I’d be a little bit surprised. Yeah.”

Khan said the quarterback transformation began in haste once the Denver Broncos informed Wilson that he would be released and was free to negotiate a contract with other teams. Wilson visited the New York Giants and Steelers on consecutive days the weekend before free agency. He agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers late that Sunday night.

“We had a great, great day, felt good about it,” Khan said. “He’ll probably tell you the same thing — it felt like it was a match for both of us, and we made it work.”

The wheels continued to spin when Pickett asked for a “change of scenery,” — Mike Tomlin’s words — which led to Pickett’s trade to Philadelphia. The deal coincided with Wilson’s introduction to the Pittsburgh media.

Khan then traded for Fields the following day. He added a No. 3 quarterback Monday by agreeing with former Buffalo quarterback Kyle Allen on a contract.

“I feel good about where the room is at and about 2024 with the quarterbacks we’ve got,” Khan said. “Things changed from Indy until here. We probably didn’t anticipate the way things would go, but we’re excited about where we are.”

It was at the Indiana Convention Center last month that Khan expressed “full faith” in Pickett and his abilities to be a starting quarterback. Despite the trade, Khan’s feelings haven’t changed.

“I still have a lot of faith in Kenny,” he said. “He’s a good football player, a good quarterback. I think he has a big future in the NFL still. Things kind of evolved. I couldn’t have foreseen how things would go at the time, but I think Kenny is a good football player and has a good future.”

Those trades have earned Khan a reputation as being an “aggressive” general manager, hence the “Khan Artist” label that he has acquired. It’s another label he doesn’t endorse.

“I don’t necessarily consider myself or describe myself as aggressive,” he said. “I owe it to the Steelers Nation to do everything I can to get to the Super Bowl.”

Khan still has several items to check off on his offseason wish list. The Steelers continue to have a void at center following Mason Cole’s release. They also lack a No. 2 wide receiver after the trade of Diontae Johnson to Carolina.

The draft will provide some of those answers. Free agency remains an option, although the picking is getting slim at those spots. Further trades also are on the table.

Khan was undeterred when options at both positions signed elsewhere in free agency.

“You have to be patient,” Khan said. “I’m confident by the time we get to the season we’ll have the right 53 guys for us. … When you lose one opportunity, it’s not the last opportunity. There is going to be opportunity to address it in other ways.”