Speculation from a Pittsburgh source

[Mr. Scot]

Specifically, longtime Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette, via The Athletic...

Quote

Why would Kevin Colbert not want a contract extension? The only reason to believe that he does not is that he wants to evaluate his options after the season. His contract expires after the 2020 draft. Might one of those options become the Carolina Panthers? David Tepper, a former minority owner of the Steelers, bought the Panthers in 2018. He is a Pittsburgh native, Pitt (BS) and Carnegie Mellon (MBA) grad and quite familiar with the Steelers organization.

Tepper persuaded Mark Hart last year to jump from the Steelers and join the Panthers as vice president and chief operating officer. Hart, also a Pittsburgh native, worked for the Steelers for more than 20 years, holding the title of VP of planning and development when he left.

If Colbert, 62, was unsure whether he might retire, that should not prevent him from wanting a contract extension. He could retire at any time, no matter how long he might have on a Steelers contract. However, if he were under contract to them, he would have no other options in the NFL. By letting his contract expire, he could go elsewhere if he wants. Carolina’s GM is Marty Hurney, a holdover from previous ownership.

Like Tepper and Hart, Colbert is a Pittsburgh native. His son Dan is a college/pro scout for the Steelers.

[Mr. Scot]

I'd add this...

Even if Colbert did officially retire as a GM, nothing stops him from being a consultant.

David Tepper could very easily give him a call and say "Hey, come here and help me retool my football operations."

[Eazy-E]

Here we go. Can't wait until we start getting referred to as the Carolina Steelers. Just like us and the Bills.

[Go DJ that's my DJ]

Just now, Eazy-E said:

Here we go. Can't wait until we start getting referred to as the Carolina Steelers. Just like us and the Bills.

the only difference is that the steelers are a team worth modeling after.

[ellis]

Bouchette is about as credible as they come. This reporting makes a good bit of sense.

[Panthercougar68]

Interesting.

I read a number of Pittsburgh articles and found it interesting that it was a "personal request" that he not get an extension. He gets a lot of flak for not being able to secure a defensive back field but the man sure knows how to find playmakers on offense.

[Mr. Scot]

Colbert has run the Steelers football operations since 2000. In that span, they have three Super Bowl appearances, two Lombardi trophies, and one losing season.

One losing season...in almost twenty years.

Since 2000, they actually have more Super Bowl appearances and more Super Bowl trophies than they have losing seasons.

If we can have success anywhere close to that level, I don't give a damn if they call us the Decatur Staleys.

[Panthercougar68]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Colbert has run the Steelers football operations since 2000. In that span, they have three Super Bowl appearances, two Lombardi trophies, and one losing season.

One losing season...in almost twenty years.

Since 2000, they actually have more Super Bowl appearances and more Super Bowl trophies than they have losing seasons.

If we can have success anywhere close to that level, I don't give a damn if they call us the Decatur Staleys.

Aint that the truth.

[Panthercougar68]

I get the sense that a lot of people in Pittsburgh feel that they have really underachieved these past few years and Colbert is getting swept into that group with Tomlin. Fans on twitter (great source yeah yeah) want them to clean house and rebuild.

[LinvilleGorge]

I just can't see it. He's the VP/GM in Pittsburgh. He's a Pittsburgh kid. Surely this is his dream job. He's been in the role for nearly 20 years. I just can't see him leaving Pittsburgh.

[SBiii]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I just can't see it. He's the VP/GM in Pittsburgh. He's a Pittsburgh kid. Surely this is his dream job. He's been in the role for nearly 20 years. I just can't see him leaving Pittsburgh.

What did you think when Danny Morrison walked from the Panthers?

[Mr. Scot]

8 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I just can't see it. He's the VP/GM in Pittsburgh. He's a Pittsburgh kid. Surely this is his dream job. He's been in the role for nearly 20 years. I just can't see him leaving Pittsburgh.

You just described the guy we hired as VP of Development last year (Mark Hart) as well. That's part of the connection Bouchette made.

Heck, for that matter, you just described David Tepper.

We could at least potentially be talking about tampering here, but something tells me that wouldn't bother Tepper all that much.

[Squirrel]

More Indepth. Looks like he just wants to go yearly with the Steelers 

 

https://triblive.com/sports/kevin-colbert-not-treating-2019-like-this-is-my-last-year-as-steelers-gm/

[Mr. Scot]

11 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

More Indepth. Looks like he just wants to go yearly with the Steelers 

https://triblive.com/sports/kevin-colbert-not-treating-2019-like-this-is-my-last-year-as-steelers-gm/

Bouchette's a better source, though. Heck, Bouchette's been pretty much the best source for Steelers info since forever.

It's all speculation at this point, though. Some people think Colbert's looking to move on. Others think he might want to retire.

Mind you, there are two big wild cards here; the first being that this Steelers season isn't exactly shaping up like they were hoping so far.

The other? David Tepper.