Colin Cowherd Believes Steelers' Omar Khan Should Be Ashamed Of Latest Choices

The Pittsburgh Steelers made some significant decisions ahead of the 2026 season when they handed two backup players lucrative contract extensions. In Steelers General Manager Omar Khan's first draft class, he appeared to find several foundational pieces for the future. While first-round pick Broderick Jones saw his fifth-year option declined, third-round tight end Darnell Washington and fourth-round edge rusher Nick Herbig both received extensions. Herbig's four-year deal is worth up to $100 million, while Washington's extension is valued at $42 million.

The general consensus among Steeler Nation is that those are substantial commitments for two players who are not currently starters. However, the extensions also reflect Khan's willingness to operate differently than previous Steelers front offices. Pittsburgh understands that the longer a team waits to extend its young talent, the more expensive those contracts often become.

When it comes to Herbig and Washington, it appears the current regime led by Head Coach Mike McCarthy believes investing early is the smarter approach before each player's market value potentially rises. On one hand, the strategy makes sense. On the other, there is always risk involved when dealing with the business side of the NFL. In this case, Khan's decisions can be scrutinized from multiple angles. Popular sports personality Colin Cowherd used Thursday's edition of The Herd to criticize Khan, claiming the Steelers' general manager should be ashamed of the latest decisions he has made for the franchise. 

"Omar Khan signed blocking tight end Darnell Washington to a four-year contract," Cowherd said while breaking down Khan's recent choices. "A blocking tight end? It's 2026. A linebacker, who's a good linebacker, I like him, and a blocking tight end. That's like spending money on a boat and a new media room when you're struggling to pay rent."

Cowherd wanted to be careful and say he's not trying to rain on the Steelers' or Washington's parade too much, but it's hard to ignore what he believes to be ill-advised choices by the front office. 

He continued to support his argument by citing the fact that, in Washington's three-year career, he has caught just 57 passes for 625 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns.

"In fact, 36-year-old Travis Kelce had 20 more catches last year than Darnell Washington has had in his career," Cowherd said. "I'm not trying to be a jerk, but this is what drives me crazy with the Steelers."

This isn't the first time Cowherd has criticized the Steelers, and it likely won't be the last. While many fans will disagree with his assessment, some of what he says does make sense. 

Steelers Invest That 2 Young Players Become Bargains In Near Future

His argument is that Pittsburgh is committing significant money to players who have yet to prove they can be major contributors on offense or defense. However, Khan sees it differently. He is simply investing that Herbig and Washington end up becoming bargains as the market climbs while they get even better.

Rather than waiting for either player to potentially break out and command a larger contract, Khan chose to lock them up now at prices the organization believes will look favorable down the road. Whether that gamble pays off remains to be seen, but it is certainly a different approach than the one Pittsburgh has traditionally taken.

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