The Pittsburgh Steelers made a good decision to promote from within and hire Omar Khan as the team’s general manager following Kevin Colbert’s retirement in 2022. Still, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Steelers almost went in a different direction. In a report about Mike Vrabel’s time with the Tennessee Titans, Russini reported that Vrabel preferred Cowden to take over the Titans’ GM post after the team fired Jon Robinson, and she added that Cowden “nearly landed” the Steelers’ job in 2022.
“Vrabel’s departure from Tennessee might have been fueled by tension over the GM role after Jon Robinson was fired in 2022.