ORLANDO, Fla. – A month ago in Indianapolis, Steelers general manager Omar Khan expressed confidence in the ability of quarterback Kenny Pickett while also saying the team intended on providing him with competition for the 2024 season.

Just a few weeks later, the Steelers had signed veteran Russell Wilson, traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles and acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears for a 2025 draft pick.

Khan wasn’t stretching the truth when he said he still had faith in Pickett. But he also didn’t feel the Steelers would be able to acquire two veteran quarterbacks at a low cost, or that Pickett would ask to be traded following the addition of Wilson.

“I’m excited about both of those players,” Khan said Monday at the NFL’s annual meeting here in Orlando. “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.”

Khan had inquired about the availability of trading for Fields, who he knew was available. Fields was the 11th pick in the NFL Draft by the Bears a few years ago, but with Chicago holding the No. 1 pick this year, the expectation was that Chicago would take a quarterback again in this year’s draft.

They had been in a holding pattern with that when Denver announced it would be releasing Wilson, a 12-year veteran who has played in two Super Bowls, winning one.