The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a longstanding tradition of not negotiating contracts with players or their agents once the regular season gets underway, and that process is not going to change with Omar Khan now serving as the team’s new general manager.
During his Friday introductory press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Khan was asked about the organization’s longstanding tradition of not having contract negotiations with players or their agents once the regular season gets underway and until it ends.
“Yeah, those principles will stay in place,” Khan said on Friday.
While Khan wasn’t asked about any offseason contract negotiations with any specific current player on Friday, the assumption so far in 2022 has been that the team hopes to get safety Minkah Fitzpatrick signed to a new deal at some point during the summer. It’s quite possible that the team might also look to extend the contracts of kicker Chris Boswell and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, as well.
“You know, those discussions are always going to be, you know, we’re going to get in a room and decide what the best timing is for that,” Khan said on Friday. “And, you know, those big decisions are always going to be Steeler decisions.”
So, will Khan still be the team’s chief cap guru and contract negotiator, roles he has seemingly held for the last 20-plus years? It certainly does sound like that will be the case, at least initially, according to what he said on Friday.
“Yeah, obviously, you know, being in this role, the responsibilities shift a little bit,” Khan said on Friday. “But, you know, I’ll have my hands in a lot of things that I’ve done before and obviously had my hands in other things. And you know, it’ll be a smooth transition.”
We aren’t likely to hear about any contract extension talks with any current Steelers players until the team reports to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. The team usually ramps up contract extension talks with players and their agents in early August. As for the Steelers and their contract extension negotiations with Fitzpatrick, specifically, those are expected to ultimately culminate with the former first-round draft pick out of Alabama becoming the NFL’s highest-paid safety.
