On July 3, 2025, the Steelers extended GM Omar Khan but face a crisis as T.J. Watt's contract talks stall. Can Pittsburgh secure its defensive star?
StatPro NFL Beat Reporter
It was a day of conflicting emotions for Steelers Nation. The organization secured its future in the front office by signing General Manager Omar Khan to a three-year extension, a vote of confidence in his aggressive, win-now strategy. But that good news was immediately tempered by a troubling report: contract negotiations with superstar linebacker and defensive heart T.J. Watt have stalled, casting a significant shadow over the team's championship aspirations.
The ink is dry on Omar Khan's new deal, but the most important signature in Pittsburgh remains unsigned.
The Steelers made it official on Thursday, rewarding GM Omar Khan with a three-year contract extension that keeps him in Pittsburgh through the 2028 season. The move signals total alignment between Khan and the front office on the team's direction. After an offseason filled with bold trades and free agent signings, the message is clear: the Steelers are all-in on a Super Bowl run in 2025. While some fans on social media debated the extent of his influence versus Coach Tomlin's, the majority see this as a positive step, ensuring the architect of this rebuilt roster remains in place.
Just as the celebration for Khan's deal began, reports surfaced that contract talks with T.J. Watt have hit a snag. With Watt entering the final year of his deal, this is the last thing fans wanted to hear. He isn't just a player; he's a franchise-altering force and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The thought of him playing out his final year without long-term security, or worse, the team failing to lock him down, is a nightmare scenario that could destabilize the entire defense.
These two developments are inextricably linked. Khan was extended because of the roster he's built, a roster designed to win now. But that championship window, potentially short due to other aging stars, feels wide open with Watt and dangerously closed without him. An unhappy or distracted Watt is a major problem for a team with Super Bowl hopes. Failing to re-sign him would be a catastrophic failure, undoing all the positive momentum from the offseason. The pressure is now squarely on the newly extended GM to pay the man who makes the entire defensive machine run.
The stability of Omar Khan's extension is a clear positive, but it will ultimately be judged by his ability to resolve the most critical negotiation on his desk. All eyes are now on the front office to see if they can get a deal done with T.J. Watt before training camp begins. The fate of this Super Bowl window may very well depend on it.
