Longtime Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is stepping down following the 2022 NFL draft, team owner Art Rooney II said Friday.
“We have left the door open, Kevin and I, to possibly have him fill an ongoing role after the draft,” Rooney said. “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.”
The move was expected, as reports surfaced earlier this month about Colbert's decision. It truly is an end to an era for the Steelers, between legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retiring and Colbert leaving. The general manager has run personnel for Pittsburgh since 2000, winning two Super Bowls.
Rooney reaffirmed that Colbert be in his “normal role” through the draft, and coach Mike Tomlin told reporters last week that it's been business as usual for draft preparation.
“My plan and our plan is to proceed in the short term like we always do,” Tomlin said, per ESPN. “He's already bringing me up to speed with draft availability and value in that space and planning about how we're going to move. ... We have big-time continuity and understanding within our relationship, and it's been great. It needs to be great as we get into this offseason work.”
Although they will evaluate in-house candidates, Rooney did say they will interview outside ones as well.
“We're going to fill these positions with the best people we can find for the job, whether they're internal or external,” Rooney said. “We're certainly not afraid to bring somebody in from the outside if need be. When we hired Coach Tomlin, we had some good internal candidates in that round and wound up hiring somebody from the outside. We just don't try to get too much of a narrow focus and really try to get the best person for the job wherever they're coming from.”
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