A little under two full years into his role as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ GM, Omar Khan is becoming a fan favorite—and media favorite—for his aggressiveness in reshaping the team’s roster, aiming to bring in not only serviceable players but also competition in key areas of need.
This offseason has been a prime example of that, with him reshaping the quarterback room, swinging big in free agency on linebacker Patrick Queen, and being aggressive in the trade market, landing Justin Fields and Donte Jackson.
As the Steelers’ GM, he is fully leaning into his “Khan Artist” nickname. But even then, he doesn’t consider himself aggressive. He’s just trying to do everything he can to add another Lombardi Trophy to the case at Acrisure Stadium.
“I don’t necessarily consider myself or describe myself as aggressive. I’m trying to do everything I can to help,” Khan said to reporters Monday in Orlando, according to a tweet via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “…I owe it to Steeler Nation to do everything I can to try and get to the Super Bowl.”
That’s a message that Omar Khan has sent previously to the media and the fanbase, so it’s not a surprise. But the fact he doesn’t consider himself aggressive is eye-opening, considering all the evidence that is there showing Khan is an aggressive GM compared to what the Steelers have known in the past.
While he learned under GM Kevin Colbert and saw how the Steelers were patient, frugal in free agency and built through the draft, Khan has brought some new-age tactics to the table for the Steelers. He’s been more aggressive in the trade market, flipping picks for players and sometimes players for players.
He hasn’t been afraid to maneuver around in the draft, either, and he’s shown a willingness to spend cash in free agency to plug some holes on the roster.
It’s all in an effort to chase a Super Bowl. He’s been part of two, but winning a Super Bowl as a GM in charge of putting the roster together would really be a capper on his career to date.
That aggressiveness from Omar Khan in the last few years is due to where the Steelers are currently in the grand scheme of things in the NFL landscape. Though Pittsburgh made the playoffs last season, they were one-and-done, losing in the AFC Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
As things stand, the Steelers are a better team now than they were at the end of the season. But there is still more work to be done. The Khan Artist has a plan. We’ll see how he executes it.
