Pittsburgh Steelers are ‘close’ to losing Kevin Colbert to Lions
By Josh Hill
The Detroit Lions appear to be close to finding a solution to their front office problems.
As the offseason rumor mill begins to turn faster and faster, the Detroit Lions appear to be getting closer to solving at least one of their major problems.
Detroit fired head coach Matt Patricia earlier in the year, but also dismissed general manager Bob Quinn. The decision to fire Quinn was particularly cathartic for Lions fans, as he was them an who jettisoned Jim Caldwell after a 9-7 season exclaiming that such a record was not good enough.
Quinn brought in his former Patriots colleague Patricia, and proceeded to watch him win only 4 more games in three seasons than Caldwell did in the single season that Quinn deemed fireable.
Now the Ford family is searching for someone to fix the mess that Quinn and Patricia leave behind, and someone who can restore pride to the Motor City.
According to 97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Stone, the Lions appear to be zeroing in on poaching Kevin Colbert from the Steelers front office.
“I’m not confident enough to say it’s done or to say breaking news, but a source has told me that the Lions have offered the gig to Kevin Colbert, and it’s close,” Stone said.
Will the Steelers let Kevin Colbert leave for Lions job?
Colbert has been rumored to be in the mix for the Lions general manager job for a while now, but it was unclear if Detroit would be able to snag him. The Steelers organization is widely considered to be one of the most well-respected in all of football, specifically the personnel the franchise has in place.
Colbert has been part of the Steelers front office since 2000, and has been instrumental in putting pieces in place that produced 13 playoff appearances, two Super Bowl victories, as well as identifying and securing numerous Hall of Fame pieces to the Pittsburgh puzzle.
Detroit has made the playoffs just three times since Colbert joined the Steelers front office, and the only Hall of Famers to pass through the halls is best remembered for having their talents wasted.
Colbert leaving the Steelers could get tricky. In addition to the Lions interest in him, Pittsburgh is in danger of also losing Omar Khan, who essentially rose through the ranks with Colbert and serves as the Steelers VP of Football Operations.
As the Steelers enter murky waters in terms of what the future holds, would they really allow the two biggest decision makers in the front office to leave? Detroit needs an intelligent and steady hand like Colbert to guide the ghost ship out of the darkness, and it doesn’t sound like they’re going to wait for Pittsburgh to intervene.