It’s been a whirlwind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially at the most important position in all of sports.
In are Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and now Kyle Allen at quarterback. Out are Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. In the blink of an eye, the Steelers and GM Omar Khan overhauled the quarterback room in a major way, even if an entire reset at the position wasn’t the expectation.
Speaking with reporters Monday from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Khan stated that he feels good with where the Steelers are within the QB room, even if some things happened that Khan and the team didn’t anticipate, such as Pickett requesting a trade following the Wilson signing, leading to the addition of Fields via trade from the Chicago Bears.
“I feel good about where the room is that feel good about 2024 with the quarterbacks we’ve got,” Khan said of the Steelers’ quarterbacks room, according to a tweet via Steelers.com’s Dale Lolley. “…Some things happened and I didn’t anticipate the way things would go but I’m excited about where we are.”
Entering the offseason, it was expected that the Steelers would provide competition for Pickett, whether that was in the form of re-signing Rudolph or adding a veteran like a Ryan Tannehill.
Of course, that didn’t happen as the Steelers pounced at the opportunity to land Wilson in free agency on a one-year, $1.21 million deal — the veteran minimum — taking advantage of the offset language in his previous contract with the Denver Broncos that has them on the hook for more than $37 million in 2024.
Once the Steelers landed Wilson, things unraveled quickly with Pickett as head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly stated to Pickett that Wilson was in the pole position for QB1 snaps entering OTAs. That irked Pickett and caused him to request a trade, which the Steelers obliged by sending him to the Philadelphia Eagles in a stunning move.
One day after flipping Pickett to the Eagles, the Steelers turned right around and acquired Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, shoring up the QB room. Then, on Monday, Khan announced the signing of Allen to serve as QB3 behind Wilson and Fields.
Pretty solid depth chart overall, all things considered.
“If you would have told me a month ago in Indy that we’d be here and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks, I’d say, I’d be a little bit surprised,” Khan added, according to a tweet from Steelers.com’s Dale Lolley.
Khan wouldn’t be the only one surprised. Everyone is surprised at what transpired for the Steelers at the quarterback position.
At one point in the offseason, it seemed unfathomable that the Steelers would get not only Russell Wilson but also Justin Fields. It was unthinkable that they would trade Kenny Pickett, too, but here we are.
Strange things have happened for the Steelers this offseason — and in a good way. The Steelers have upgraded at the quarterback room and have a top two in Wilson and Fields to feel good about not only entering the 2024 season but potentially beyond.
That’s a credit to the work Khan has done.
