Omar Khan didn't anticipate being able to acquire both Russell Wilson, Justin Fields
The Steelers have made wholesale changes to their quarterbacks' room by signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields.
Each player seemed to make sense for Pittsburgh as the calendar turned to March. But General Manager Omar Khan said during the annual league meeting this week that he didn't anticipate acquiring both.
"I'm excited about both of those players," Khan said, via Dale Lolley of the team's website. "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."
Head coach Mike Tomlin has said that Wilson is in "pole position" to be Pittsburgh's starting quarterback when the season begins. Getting to that point began with the time Wilson spent with the organization after Denver gave him the go-ahead to speak with potential suitors.
“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."
Wilson finished last season having completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 games. He rushed for 341 yards with three TDs.
As for Fields, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine picks in 13 games. He rushed for 657 yards with four TDs in 2023.
