It was only a month ago that Steelers general manager Omar Khan was talking up Kenny Pickett as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback.
Khan was in Indianapolis to watch hundreds of prospects show off their skills at the NFL Scouting Combine. Maybe Khan was looking at one of the rookies to be to add depth or give Pickett some competition.
But as the weather changed to early spring, and the NFL calendar flipped to the new year, the Steelers got busy at quarterback. And as the draft approaches, the Pittsburgh offense has a new look, with Russell Wilson as QB1 and Justin Fields as QB 1A.
Its why Khan was fielding lots of questions about Wilson and Fields at the NFL Owners meeting this week from Orlando, Fla.
“I’m excited about both of those players,” Khan told reporters. “They’re both really good quarterbacks. 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.”
Steelers jumped when Broncos gave permission for Wilson to talk to other teams
There were rumors a month ago that Wilson could be headed to Steel City. After all, the Broncos let it be known back in late December that he would no longer be their quarterback. The team still owed him millions in guaranteed money dating back to the trade with the Seahawks.
And, with the Bears in line to draft Caleb Williams at No. 1 next month, it was only a matter of time until Chicago and Fields parted ways. Fields really liked the idea of going to the Falcons and back to his home state of Georgia. But the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Steelers then traded for Fields, sending a conditional sixth round pick to the Bears.
As for Pickett, the Steelers sent him to the Eagles. Pickett grew up not far from Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the team opted not to sign Mason Rudolph or Mitch Trubisky. Rudolph signed with the Titans, while Trubisky ended up with the Bills.
Khan said he had already kicked the tires with Chicago about trading for Fields when he heard that Denver had given permission for Wilson to begin talking to other teams.
“Once the announcement was made that he was going to be released and Russell and his agent had permission to talk to other clubs, we had a conversation and Russ came in and met with us,” Khan said. “We had a great day, felt good about it. He’ll probably tell you the same thing, it was a match for both of us. We made it work.
“When both sides meet, money aside, it’s got to be a fit. It made sense for both of us.”
Then Fields became available. Both quarterbacks, together, will cost the Steelers only $4.5 million in salaries. The Broncos owe Wilson $38 million for the season, while the Steelers picked up the fourth year of Fields rookie deal. They can take the year to see how each plays.
“Things just kind of evolved,” Khan said. “I couldn’t really have foreseen that things would go the way they did.”
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