The Next Steelers Dynasty?

Pittsburgh, PA. - The parade is over. The confetti has finally been swept from Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies. While Pittsburgh celebrates its first Lombardi Trophy in over a decade, the front office faces a more pressing question than the one dominating local sports radio.
It's not whether this team can become a dynasty. It's whether Omar Khan can keep the window open long enough to find out.
In the modern NFL, sustained excellence requires a delicate balance of elite quarterbacking, cost controlled talent, and shrewd roster management. The Steelers appear to have all three, for now. But the financial realities lurking just beyond this offseason threaten to complicate everything.
Look at the Chiefs' run from 2019 to 2023. Look at the Patriots before them. The formula is consistent: franchise quarterback on a manageable contract, young talent on rookie deals, and veteran leadership on the back end. Pittsburgh checks every box.
Established young quarterback? Check. Dynamic receivers? Check. Cost-controlled offensive line? Check. Impact defenders? Check.
The Steelers enter the offseason with nearly $100 million in cap space and the #2 overall pick, acquired in last year's trade with Los Angeles. On paper, they're positioned not just to run it back, but to get better. "They're in a unique spot," one AFC personnel executive said. "They just won it all, and they're about to get younger and deeper. That doesn't happen often."
But this might be Pittsburgh's last offseason with this kind of financial flexibility.
Anthony Richardson will need a new deal. So will Zach Frazier, Alex Highsmith, Payton Wilson, Mason McCormick, and DeShon Elliott. The bills are coming due, and they'll arrive quickly. "We've got plans," Khan said this week. "You can't keep everyone. The goal is to draft well and find replacements before those deals come up."
The only significant departure expected this offseason is rotational defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, who's drawing interest on the open market. Beyond that, Pittsburgh's core remains intact, for now. According to multiple league sources, the Steelers plan to be aggressive in free agency, targeting short term deals that won't hamstring their future flexibility. It's a calculated gamble: maximize this window before the cap crunch arrives.
The most consequential decision of the offseason centers on the No. 2 pick.
The Tennessee Titans have the #1 pick and are expected to select South Carolina's Dylan Stewart first overall. With Texas quarterback Arch Manning expected to be the first QB off the board, Pittsburgh is fielding trade inquiries from teams desperate to move up after the Titans to secure a future franchise QB. The return could be substantial, multiple first round picks, plus additional assets to restock a roster that will soon face difficult financial decisions.
"That's the scary part," the AFC executive said. "If they do this draft right, they're getting another haul of picks and young players. If they lock up Richardson, they're set up to run the AFC for years to come."
Khan built his reputation on savvy draft-day maneuvering. Trading down from No. 2 would fit his M.O. accumulating assets, extending the window, betting on his ability to identify talent wherever it falls.
But there's risk in that approach, too. Championship windows don't stay open forever, even with a franchise quarterback. The Steelers know this better than anyone.
Mike Tomlin secured his legacy with a second Super Bowl victory. He's now one of seven coaches with multiple championships in the Super Bowl era. His place in Canton is secure. For Khan, the stakes are different. He inherited a roster in transition and molded it into a champion in just three years. Now comes the harder part: keeping it there.
The decisions made this offseason; how aggressively to pursue free agents, whether to trade the No. 2 pick, how to balance the present against the future, will define whether Pittsburgh's championship was the start of something or the pinnacle of it.
"You win one, everybody wants to know if you can win two," Tomlin said after the Super Bowl. "That's the challenge. That's what makes this fun."
The parade is over. The real work is just beginning.