One of the biggest curiosities over the years is why more organizations haven’t looked to hire people from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Keep in mind this franchise hasn’t had a losing season since 2006. They’ve been consistently among the best in the NFL for literal decades and yet nobody has thought to pluck from their tree for coaches or executives. Well, it seems the Bears might be looking to change that with their interest in Omar Khan.
He is the Steelers Vice President of Football and Business administration. A title he has held since 2011. Khan has held a top spot in that front office since all the way back in 2001. During that time Pittsburgh has won two Super Bowl titles, had just one losing season, and drafted a ridiculous 20 eventual Pro Bowl players. If anybody knows how to build a consistent winner, it would be Khan. Adding even further intrigue to this is he actually has ties to the Bears organization, being good friends with college scouting director Mark Sadowski.
Bears requested permission to interview Steelers’ VP Omar Khan for their GM job, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2022
What makes Khan’s inclusion interesting is the background.
He isn’t what you would call a classic personnel guy. While he does have a hand in that side of the organization, he’s also part of the Steelers’ business operations. This grants him unique perspective that a lot of GM candidates probably don’t have. An ability to see both sides of the board when it comes to constructing a roster. The talent required but also the benefits and drawbacks from the business perspective too.
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Omar Khan might even be viewed as a potential successor to Ted Phillips. Rumors persist the longtime team president might consider retirement in 2023. If so, somebody like Khan would be a perfect choice to replace him. This is due to his rare mix of business and football knowledge. Something Phillips could never offer when the Bears promoted him way back in 1999.
It is worth noting that Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is expected to step down after the 2022 draft later this year. Reports surfaced last year that his successor was already lined up and it would not be Khan. News the longtime executive didn’t receive well. So it isn’t a surprise he might be considering alternatives at this point.
As for the Sadowski connection?
That is really cool. Back in the late 1990s, the Bears scouting director was hoping to become an NFL coach. Yet nobody would give him a chance to interview. So he called Khan with a request to hand out his resume to the New Orleans Saints’ head coach. A man by the name of Mike Ditka. The coach admired his persistence and ended up giving him a job. The rest is history. Pretty awesome.
