Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan stands by the two deals he made at the trade deadline last season.
INDIANAPOLIS —The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired two players at the NFL trade deadline last season — wide receiver Mike Williams and linebacker Preston Smith. Despite the team's five-game losing streak to end the year, general manager Omar Khan stands by those two deals.
"I think both of those guys helped us. If I had to do it again, I would do it again," Khan said. "But at the end of the day, the result was we lost five straight games and that's not good enough."
The Steelers acquired Williams by sending a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the New York Jets .
It was a necessary acquisition since the Steelers were left empty-handed at wide receiver after Brandon Aiyuk returned to the San Francisco 49ers . However, Pittsburgh didn't use Williams like many thought it would.
The veteran wide receiver was never able to establish a consistent role for himself on the offense, recording just nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in nine games. He is now set to become a free agent.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Williams in a game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 8, 2024 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers then acquired Smith by sending a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Green Bay Packers .
It was another trade that made sense at the time since Pittsburgh was getting very thin at the position with linebackers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig both dealing with injuries.
Smith registered 13 tackles (six solo) and two sacks in eight games, but he has since been released in a move that saved the team another $13.4 million in salary cap space.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Preston Smith sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Jan. 4, 2025 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
While many fans would like to have those picks back with the 2025 NFL Draft nearing, Williams and Smith didn't cost much to acquire and the Steelers seem to have aspirations of upgrading at both spots this offseason anyway.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Indianapolis.
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