Omar Khan Under Fire for Loyalty to Steelers Ways

The Pittsburgh Steelers way may be the end for Omar Khan.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of one of their more drastic changes as an organization in the history of the franchise.

With a complete personnel change and a certain vibe shift within the franchise this offseason following the departure from the consistency of head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are entering a new era.

One consistency is general manager Omar Khan, who has been with the team for four years and now the lack of consistency will put his work to the ultimate test. In a yearly ranking of the general managers around the league, NBC Sports' Patrick Daugherty ranked Khan No. 19, and had strong words for his work.

“GM Omar Khan has been faithful to the ethos. It could be his undoing." Daugherty said. "We don’t know if Khan is running back the same tired old playbook by choice or dictate, but this is a roster that needed to be blown up five years ago. That’s bad enough. Even worse, this is no longer a franchise thinking five years into the future."

The roster comment made by Daugherty may not be reflective of reality. While they have not necessarily built well for the future in terms of young talent, the team has top-tier talent at many important positions. The notes about the team thinking forward are correct, as it seems that many of their top talents will age out quite soon, but it is certainly being put harshly by Daugherty.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

"The Steelers had three head coaches from 1969–2025." Daugherty said. "No club thinks in longer time horizons. That is, until Khan and company hired Mike McCarthy. Suddenly, this is a situation being maximized for a 42-year-old quarterback who didn’t even bother to officially sign until May.”

Are the Steelers set up well?

Then, Daugherty's comments tend to bounce from the coaching situation to the quarterback situation. While the quarterback situation is far from ideal, the Steelers do have a known quantity at the quarterback position, which is something that should not be taken for granted across the NFL. At the coaching situation, it is unclear whether or not McCarthy will end up working out for the team, but it is far too early to make any sort of concrete statement on that.

The Steelers have hit another crossroads season, but they seem well equipped thus far to deal with the consequences of their actions.

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