Omar Khan does not care about feelings.
Omar Khan cares about winning Super Bowls.
And he’s willing to do whatever he can to make that happen.
After just two seasons the Pittsburgh Steelers have traded former first round draft pick Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers will receive the Eagles’ 98th overall pick plus two seventh round selections in 2025. Philly will receive the Steelers’ 120th overall pick and Pickett.
The move comes on the same day that the team welcomed newly signed quarterback Russell Wilson and two days after Mason Rudolph signed with Tennessee. We can try to spin this any way we want to but there’s no excusing several truths here and both the Steelers and Pickett himself are to blame.
Canada
The decision to have Matt Canada become the offensive coordinator was a poor choice period. The decision to keep him around after the first year was an even worse one. But because the Steelers finished Pickett’s rookie season on a high note, it seemed keeping Canada was the right move in terms of continuity. After a seemingly flawless preseason, things immediately turned worse. Pickett’s play picked up slightly after the firing of Canada but there were still too many problems.
Pickett the Player
If you’re a diehard fan of Pickett then you probably will never be convinced of the fact that he just didn’t produce. In two seasons, he threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He averaged just 179 yards passing per game and his Quarterback Ratings of 53.6 and 38.1 ranked him among the lowest QBs in the NFL.
He also struggled to stay healthy. He dealt with two concussions and an ankle injury that required surgery. Ultimately he played in just 12 games in what would be his final season with the Steelers.
Pickett the Teammate
What was ultimately his undoing in all of this was his demeanor and his actions. The rumor that he refused to dress for the game in Seattle because he felt he should have been starting turned out to be true. He did not recognize that Rudolph was the hot hand and Mike Tomlin’s decision to stay with him was an easy one. In Pickett’s defense, it’s not easy to accept that you’re the “starter” and you’re healthy but you don’t get the call to return. In other words, I get it.
But ultimately, as the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac explained today, Pickett’s reaction to Wilson coming to Pittsburgh was exactly the opposite of what Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and the organization wanted to see. He was upset and even petulant as the reality sank in that Wilson was coming here to start, not be in a competition.
This echoed numerous reports that Pickett’s attitude soured throughout the season. His body language was negative and his receivers lost confidence in him. Diontae Johnson went so far as to say he wanted Rudolph to be the starter in 2024 when last season ended. Johnson of course is no longer a Steeler now either.
All of this comes back to Khan. While many general managers might have had more patience with a first round draft pick, Khan did not. He and his coaches saw what we saw. Pickett just didn’t get better. In fact an argument is to be made that he got worse. The spinning out of the pocket, the missing of wide open receivers and the unwillingness to pull the trigger when necessary were things that were just too much to overcome.
Khan had already made his feelings known when he shipped out Johnson earlier this week. Some would say its Khan that didn’t want the negative and selfish attitudes on the team. Closer examination will tell you that it was likely the locker room that pushed Khan to get rid of these guys.
Whether that’s accurate (I’m told it is) or not does not matter. Omar Khan does not care that Kenny Pickett went to Pitt and he doesn’t care about your love for him either. As he has stated, he isn’t an aggressive GM, he’s a GM that wants to win Super Bowls and he is proving he’s willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.
