Steelers' Omar Khan Has Revealing Answers Regarding Pittsburgh's 2023 Cap Situation

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their most aggressive free agency ever in 2022 when it was all said and done. The franchise invested millions on the offensive line, at quarterback with Mitchell Trubisky and on the defensive end with linebacker, Myles Jack. Entering 2023, it may seem as if the team is strapped for cash amidst this intense part of the offseason because Spotrac currently has the team about $300,000 in the negative. 

That number doesn't include Monday's signing of Jamir Jones, either. There are plenty of ways, however to open up the checkbook if general manager, Omar Khan is open to diving into current players' contracts.

Khan was very busy Tuesday as he is Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He spoke to the media and discussed a plethora of topics. For starters, it appears that Trubisky will be back in the black and gold and it's not out of the question for the team to attempt to extend his contract in order to space out the over $10 million he is owed in 2023. This would be a solid start to begin opening up some cap room.

A member of the media asked him about getting creative when it comes to the salary cap situation. Khan is a known financial guru, but he won't necessarily agree that it's thinking outside of the box:

"I don't really like to use the word creative, but if there's an opportunity to get a player and we have to maneuver some things, I'm going to be open to that. That's not going to change. The goal is to have the best 53 players you can on your roster come opening week and we'll do what we got to do to make sure we have the opportunity to get those players that we want."

That's definitely not Khan closing the door on making some financial decisions to have the capability of signing a big name free agent like Tremaine Edmunds or Bobby Wagner. In terms of what 'maneuvering things' actually means, Khan said that restructuring contracts is a component of that:

"I think it's part of the process and if the opportunity's there, yeah. It's there. If there's an opportunity to create cap room, if that's how we do it, then we'll do it."

The most expensive players currently for the Steelers are TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Watt and Fitzpatrick restructures would generate over $22.5 million in cap space according to Over The Cap. Heyward's would save over $7 million, but is a little less likely given his age and unpredictability surrounding his future.

Khan said on Tuesday that the Steelers are in a great position when it comes to the cap space and entering free agency. It's quite possible he opens up a ton of financial flexibility and is aggressive in his first full offseason as the general manager:

"I think you guys have kind of seen through different seasons what kind of shape we've been in," Khan said in regards to the salary cap. "We're obviously in a lot better shape than we've been in the past."