After more than 21 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Omar Khan has finally ascended into a position he’s worked towards his entire football life.
Khan, who originally joined the Steelers as a football operations coordinator in 2001 after four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, was named the Steelers’ next GM earlier this week, becoming the heir apparent to longtime GM Kevin Colbert, who’s contract ends on May 31, ending a 22-year run as GM.
Considered a favorite throughout the process, Khan edged out the likes of Brandon Hunt, Doug Whaley, John Spytek, and Ryan Cowden for the job. Having been through the GM interview process multiple times in his career, Khan — who sat down with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews to discuss his hiring — said he knew what to expect.
Still, that moment inside Art Rooney II’s office when the Steelers’ owner offered him the GM job was a rather special one for Khan.
“I’ve been through this process a few times in other places, so I kind of knew what to expect,” Khan said to Matthews, according to video via Steelers.com. “I’m always grateful just to be involved in the conversation. That’s the important part of this. Art called me in and said he wanted to meet in his office, and he offered me the job. I said, ‘yes, absolutely.’
“I’m so excited. This is a dream come true for me.”
Khan is a lot like the man he’s replacing in Colbert, having worked his way up the ladder throughout his career, leading to the opportunity in Pittsburgh. Having interviewed in the past for the GM job with the likes of Seattle, St. Louis, Miami (twice), Houston, and Chicago – to name a few – he wasn’t overwhelmed by the process or caught off guard by anything overall, thanks to the experience gained from those interviews.
Now, he’ll be put to the ultimate test, as his overall knowledge will be tested on a daily basis as the next Steelers’ GM tasked with putting together a team capable of winning a Super Bowl year in and year out.
