Steelers GM Kevin Colbert will step down after 2022 NFL draft
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will step down after the 2022 NFL draft in April, team owner Art Rooney II said on Friday.
BREAKING: Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is stepping down after the draft, per Art Rooney II.
Team will conduct a search for a new GM immediately, but likely won’t make the hire until after the draft. They have already interviewed two in-house candidates: Brandon Hunt and Omar Khan.— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 28, 2022
Colbert's contract runs through the 2022 draft — he's worked on year-to-year deals since after the 2019 season — and there were reports earlier this month that said he was expected to leave the team. Rooney said he may stay with Pittsburgh in a different role.
The Steelers have started their search for a new general manager immediately and have already interviewed two candidates in-house, Rooney said.
"We have left the door open, Kevin and I, to possibly have him fill an ongoing role after the draft," Rooney said, via Brooke Pryor at ESPN. "We will be conducting a search for a new GM starting immediately. Probably won't make a hire until after the draft. We will be interviewing people. We've already interviewed two of our in-house candidates: Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt."
Colbert had said he would be with the organization as long as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was there. Roethlisberger formally announced Thursday he was retiring after an 18-year career, all with the Steelers.
Khan is the team's vice president of football operations and business administration. He has been with the organization for 21 years. Hunt is currently the pro scouting coordinator and has been with the Steelers for 14 years.
Steelers success under Kevin Colbert
Head coach Mike Tomlin will be one of the few remaining core Steelers personnel in an organization that never has much turnover. Rooney said Friday that Tomlin's role will not change with a new general manager. He started with the Steelers in 2007 during Roethlisberger's fourth season and signed a three-year extension last year.
Colbert, a Pittsburgh native, has been with the club since 2000 and won two Super Bowls in three trips to the big game with Pittsburgh. The Steelers under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher won Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks and won Super Bowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals with Tomlin.
He's 225-124-3 as a general manager after working for a decade as the director of football operations. Before joining the Steelers, he worked as a college scout for the Miami Dolphins and the pro scouting director for the Detroit Lions.
