Steelers’ Kevin Colbert to the Lions? Mike Tomlin talked to him and knows nothing of it
Kevin Colbert has made it known that at this point of his life, he prefers to work on a year-to-year basis as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Mike Tomlin said he has no reason to believe this is the year Colbert’s two-decade tenure with the Steelers ends.
“I’ve worked with Kevin for 14 years we have an awesome work relationship,” Tomlin said during his season wrap-up video conference call with media Wednesday. “We communicate each and every day, multiple times a day. We communicated today, and I look forward to beginning this process with him.”
That Tomlin said he communicated with Colbert Wednesday and yet still expressed optimism about the process of stewarding the Steelers through the offseason with him is significant in the wake of a report from a radio station in Detroit from that morning.
A co-host of the morning show on WXYT-FM said the Detroit Lions had offered Colbert the job as their new head of football operations and that Colbert was “close” to accepting it.
“I’m not going to say it’s done or anything like that,” Mike Stone, the radio host, said of a phone conversation with an unnamed source. “Someone I know pretty well, somewhat connected, said that they’ve offered the job to Kevin Colbert, and unless the Rooney’s come up with some kind of crazy counteroffer he might be coming back.”
A native of western Pennsylvania and Robert Morris alumnus, Colbert worked for the Lions from 1990-99 as pro scouting director. He’s been general manager (under different titles) of the Steelers since 2000. Soon to turn 64 years old, though, Colbert has told the Steelers he will work on one-year contracts, so theoretically he’s available to the Lions or any other NFL team.
“I know next to nothing about the rumors,” Tomlin said.
Colbert rarely speaks publicly.
The Steelers have had only one losing season since Colbert joined the organization and have advanced to six AFC championship games and three Super Bowls, winning after the 2005 and 2008 seasons. This season was the Steelers’ 10th division title since Colbert arrived in 2000.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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