The Athletic released its fifth annual agent survey, giving certified NFL agents the chance to speak anonymously about what’s going on in the NFL. One of the questions posed to agents was “among GM and front office leaders, whom do you trust the most?” At the top of the list with three votes, tied with Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane, was Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
“With a lot of GMs, you feel like you’re doing a deal, and they are focused on not looking bad with peers, or you wonder if he’s telling you the truth as to why the team is where they are. With Omar, he’s just as honest as the day is long. He’s consistent and treats everyone with respect,” one agent said.
“(Khan is) down to earth and never any issue with backtracking after agreeing to something,” said another.
It’s great that Khan seemingly has a good relationship with agents. If he was deceptive or sneaky and not good at dealing with them, then agents would tell their clients to steer clear of Pittsburgh. But Khan seems to be as personable with agents as he can be with the media, and obviously being honest with them is the quickest way to gain favor.
Beane has been regarded as one of the better GMs in football over the past few years, and after Khan’s first full offseason, he might be on his way to the same conversation. Pittsburgh got better pretty much across the board, and Khan showed aggressiveness in moving up in the draft to get OT Broderick Jones. In general, he targeted guys who helped add competition in every position group, and the 2023 Steelers look to be one of the best teams Pittsburgh has had in years.
It goes to show how hard it is to stand out as being honest in the league given that Khan and Beane led the voting with three votes. They were only five people/groups who got multiple votes, which means that Khan has seemingly really curried favor with the agents. That’s something great to see.
In addition to Khan being named the most trustworthy general manager, his assistant general manager, Andy Weidl, was given one vote as a future general manager candidate to watch. Saints assistant general manager/vice president of football operations Khai Harley, 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters and Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley led the way with two votes, and Weidl was among 17 executives who received one vote.
Weidl’s had a key role in helping shape Pittsburgh’s roster alongside Khan. If the team performs up to or above expectations this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Weidl got calls this offseason from teams with an open general manager vacancy. Whether he’d leave after just two years in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but it sounds as if Weidl is going to be on the radar more going forward.
All this survey showed is the signs of a well-run front office, which gives a lot of hope for the Steelers now and down the line. Hopefully, the duo of Khan and Weidl can help bring the Steelers their seventh Lombardi Trophy.
