Steelers notebook: If Kevin Colbert retires, Mike Tomlin plans to be 'easy person to work with' for next GM

Mike Tomlin is aware he could be working with a new general manager after the NFL Draft when Kevin Colbert’s contract expires.

Colbert has been working on a year-to-year contract basis and reportedly is contemplating retirement.

“He and I have had discussions, but I’ll leave it to Kevin to address any issues regarding him and his future,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his season wrap-up new conference. “Our plan is to proceed in the short term like we always do.”

Colbert joined the Steelers in 2000 and inherited Tomlin as head coach in 2007. Together, they have won one Super Bowl title and appeared in another championship game in 15 seasons.

Tomlin said he already has met with Colbert to be briefed on some of the draft prospects who will be attending the Senior Bowl that will be played Feb. 5 in Mobile, Ala.

“I enjoy working with Kevin this time of the year because we speak plain English,” Tomlin said. “We have to improve our football team, and there are two ways to do it. You do it through free agency, and you do it through the draft.”

That could change after the draft if Colbert retires.

“I could talk all day about our relationship and how beneficial it’s been to me,” Tomlin said. “It has just been a pleasure, man. In terms of what I’m open to hypothetically, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I own the responsibility of being an easy person to work with. I’m not concerned about hypotheticals in that regard. I make myself an easy person to work with because I don’t have side agendas. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ agenda is the agenda.”

Inside job

Tomlin has a history of filling vacancies on his coaching staff from within. His past two offensive coordinators, Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada, already were on board as the quarterbacks coach. Butler was elevated from linebackers coach to be defensive coordinator after Dick LeBeau left after the 2014 season.

Tomlin’s coaching staff already has one vacancy. Chris Morgan, who was in his first year as assistant offensive line coach, has been working as interim line coach after Adrian Klemm left for Oregon in December. Klemm was promoted to his position from the assistant role, as was his predecessor, Shaun Sarrett.

“I always look at internal candidates versus what I refer to as the field,” Tomlin said. “I owe it to the group to get the very best person for whatever job we’re talking about that we can acquire. That’s my commitment. Those are my intentions. That’s always the case. It’s the case when we hire from the outside. It’s the case when we hire from the inside.”

Center or guard?

Rookie Kendrick Green never earned back his starting job at center when he returned from a calf injury late in the season. J.C. Hassenauer started the final two games of the regular season and the playoff loss at Kansas City because Tomlin felt he “gave us the best opportunity to win.”

Tomlin hasn’t ruled out Green remaining at center even though most of his experience in college was at guard. Right guard Trai Turner will become a free agent in March.

“I am optimistic that K.G. has position flexibility,” Tomlin said. “That’s one of the reasons why he was attractive to us. We saw 2020 Illinois tape where he started and played games at center, and he started and played games at guard. That’s a component of his resume, but I’m not ready to lay the center work to bed, either.”