For a man who’s hinted at retirement, it sure doesn’t sound like Kevin Colbert is ready to exit stage left anytime soon. And he certainly has zero plans to work for anyone other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fresh off the news of his one-year extension that inks him through the 2021 draft, Colbert, speaking to the media this afternoon, said he wants to run the organization for as long as the Rooney family will allow him.
The full quote from Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola.
“I can say this without any hesitation: as long as the Rooneys and Pittsburgh Steelers want me to be apart of this organization and it’s a good thing for our family, we’ll be here. I’m not looking to go anywhere else.”
Early in the offseason, there were silly, baseless rumors about Colbert being interested in jumping ship to Carolina and work with owner David Tepper, who was part-owner of the Steelers before moving south. That was never going to happen.
The more interesting question was how long Colbert planned to remain with Pittsburgh. While Colbert didn’t answer that question specifically, it sounds possible he’s with the team for a few more years.
2021 should make for an interesting offseason. That’s currently when his contract runs through and he’s far from the only one. Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, and Mike Tomlin all have their deals expire after that season. Could that be when the team sees its first radical shakeup in the front office and at quarterback for the first time in more than a decade? Potentially. This is all speculation, of course. It’s possible, probably really, that Colbert doesn’t even know when he’ll retire.
What we do know is that he’s here for at least the next year and by the way he spoke in this media scrum, will probably sign at least another one-year extension (that would put him through the 2022 draft) before taking a hard look at walking away.
Colbert will speak to the media during the NFL Combine later this month.
