Fair or not, Omar Khan has always been viewed as the “cap guy” for the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout his tenured career.
Now, it’s “Pittsburgh Steelers’ General Manager.”
For many, there are concerns that Khan, seemingly not viewed as a true football guy for one odd reason or another, will have a tough transition into his role as GM in charge of building a roster, rather than managing numbers to help the Steelers squeeze every last possible cent out of the salary cap year after year.
Speaking with reporters Friday during his introductory press conference, Khan downplayed those concerns, stating that he’s had a hand in seemingly every facet of the front office throughout his 20+ seasons with the Steelers, and knows that in the end it comes back to one thing and one thing only in the city of Pittsburgh with its professional football team: building a roster capable of winning a Super Bowl year after year.
“Look, I can tell you that from the first day I started here in Pittsburgh, it’s been all about football and building a championship roster here,” Khan said to reporters Friday, according to video via the Steelers’ official YouTube page. “And I learned that from day one and that’s not gonna change.”
Don’t expect much to change overall with Khan in charge, whether that’s a good thing or not. The Steelers have a mode of operation, and historically it’s worked year after year, especially in the 2000s as the Steelers have had just one losing season since 2000. Though Khan has never been the true GM of the Steelers, he’s had a hand in a number of rooms within the front office, which he believes has him well-prepared to take on the duties as GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers from Kevin Colbert.
That said, Khan knows what he doesn’t, which has him aiming to add some impactful front office personnel around him, including new assistant GM Andy Weidl and former Detroit Lions’ front office executive Sheldon White.
“Yeah, I’m confident saying that I’ve touched every aspect of the football operations, obviously some more than others,” Khan said. “But I think every good leader understands his strengths and his weaknesses, neither of which I’m gonna discuss here publicly, but I think every good leader surrounds himself around smart people that are gonna help him succeed. And that’s my plan.”
With the right people in place and the right overall front office structure, the Steelers should be able to continue rolling right along, building competitive rosters year after year. Will that result in another championship sometime soon? That remains to be seen, but Khan knows what it takes from a cap and talent standpoint in Pittsburgh.
