Steelers' Omar Khan Admits Exactly When The Aaron Rodgers Dream Took Over

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent most of the 2025 offseason waiting for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind on if he would sign with Pittsburgh or not. After Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and before mandatory minicamp, Rodgers finally showed up to the facility to put pen to paper and become the starter for the year. It was a very frustrating few months for Steeler Nation, as the fan base had no idea if or when this marriage would ever happen. Now, there is some excitement to see what he can do now. 

While making an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, General Manager Omar Khan was asked about the whole saga and the patience that he had in waiting for Rodgers. Khan explained what the mindset was behind the scenes and why they waited for him for a long time.

"We don't really view our patience as a weakness; I view it as a strength," Khan said. "We had some conversations, and we were engaged with [Aaron Rodgers], and just felt really good about our chances. We went through the evaluation process early and felt like he could be the right guy for us if we could just land the plane."

Khan had a lot of quarterback options to look through, especially since every single one from the 2024 roster was set to become a free agent. While some members of the team really wanted Justin Fields back, the brass clearly was not all that enamored with him. They were especially unhappy with Russell Wilson after how the season ended, so they made little attempt to keep him around. 

it didn't take Khan very long to realize that he would have to search for a new quarterback. From what he said, it also sounds like it didn't take him a while to figure out what his first option was. Legally, they couldn't actually talk with him until the New York Jets finally cut him loose, but they started talking about him coming to Pittsburgh rather quickly.

The latest that Khan realized he wanted Rodgers to be a Steeler was early March, around the time of legal tampering. However, the Jets announced that he would be cut in the middle of February, and it's very likely that there were some backdoor conversations going on during that time frame. Either way, it seems like Pittsburgh knew who its top option would be by the time they agreed to terms with other free agents right before the period officially begun.

Could Steelers Have Gone For Anyone Else?

Many fans have questioned why the Steelers fell in love with Rodgers "early" and decided to wait on him. Part of the reason comes to tampering. Every team does illegal tampering every year, so many of Pittsburgh's top options were gone quickly. Fields was reportedly lowballed, so he was having conversations with teams like the Jets ahead of the legal tampering period. 

The quarterback market was already weak, and many of the top ones had their signings announced as soon as legally possible. After Rodgers, many of the best choices were draft busts hoping for another shot like Mac Jones and Daniel Jones. Khan and his staff opted to go for a veteran that's seen and done just about everything, as opposed to a player that may or may not have untapped potential.

Obviously, Rodgers is a former Super Bowl champion and four-time MVP, even if his tenure in New York was a disaster. Khan seems to believe that, that either won't happen in Pittsburgh, or it was not his fault at all. Many fans are now hoping that the rumors of him being toxic are just a myth and he can be the leader that the offense has desperately needed. All signs point to Rodgers being a great leader so far.

What do you think of Khan's explanation for the Rodgers saga? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

#SteelerNation