Steelers interview 3 more general manager candidates
By Scott Rogust
The Pittsburgh Steelers revealed they have interviewed three more general managers, as they find Kevin Colbert’s replacement.
The Pittsburgh Steelers seemingly found their replacement for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Mitchell Trubisky. With that goal checked off on their to-do list, the Steelers continue to find their replacement for general manager Kevin Colbert, who will step down after the 2022 NFL Draft. They have interviewed numerous candidates throughout the offseason, and the list continued to grow.
On Saturday, the Steelers announced that they have interviewed former general managers in Jerry Reese, Rick Spielman and Doug Whaley for the position this past week.
Steelers interview 3 more candidates for general manager position
Reese spent the majority of his executive career with the New York Giants, starting as a college scout before being promoted to general manager in 2007 to replace the retiring Ernie Accorsi. The Giants won two Super Bowls, including one in his first year as general manager. Yet the team fell off after the 2011 season, as they had a losing record in four of Reese’s final six years on the job before his firing in the middle of the 2017 campaign following the Eli Manning benching debacle.
The Giants held a 91-85 record with Reese as general manager.
Out of the three candidates, Spielman most recently held a general manager position. Spielman joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 as a vice president of player personnel where he was the de facto general manager until being given the official title in 2012. The Vikings made it to the playoffs six times, where they held a 3-6 record and never made it to the Super Bowl. After going 8-9 this past season, Spielman was fired by the Vikings.
The Vikings held a 132-123 overall record with Spielman in the front office.
Whaley has experience in Pittsburgh’s front office, as he was there for 10 years before becoming the assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills in 2010. He was elevated to general manager in 2013, a position he held for four seasons before his firing after the 2016 campaign.
The Bills had one winning season under Whaley (2016, 9-7), but the team went 30-34 and had zero playoff appearances.
It will only be a matter of time until the Steelers reveal who will replace Colbert after this year’s NFL Draft.