While the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a different coaching staff in 2024, upper management looks poised to remain the same. Omar Khan is gearing up for his second full offseason as general manager. And it seems almost certain Andy Weidl will be there right next to him.
Though not all of the league’s general manager spots have been filled, the number of available jobs is dwindling. As of now, there’s only two jobs available -those belonging to the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots. The Chargers are closing in on their hire with Weidl not a candidate. The Patriots? They haven’t begun their search but evidently aren’t in a hurry, using senior personnel members as de facto GMs to work alongside new head coach Jerod Mayo.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, they might not hire a GM until after April’s draft and it’s doubtful someone like Weidl would take on what appears to be a pseudo-role.
Which means Weidl will spend the year in Pittsburgh. That fact itself isn’t radical. There are only so many jobs available. But publicly, Weidl didn’t even garner an interview in this hiring cycle. That’s surprising given his reputation as a riser in the GM ranks, known and respected after working under Howie Roseman in Philadelphia before being tabbed as Khan’s Assistant GM in 2022.
As the season closed, Weidl’s name was kicked around as a potential hire this offseason. In December, he was mentioned as a possible hire for the Washington Commanders. But Weidl was never interviewed by the team, which quickly tabbed Adam Peters for the job.
Albert Breer included Weidl’s name on his annual list of top GM candidates, though he acknowledged that he ranked Weidl higher in past years. Several of Breer’s names earned interviews or were hired while news around Weidl went dark.
Is it possible teams came calling and he turned them down? It is, though we often hear about those things, especially if there’s enough demand. Someone talks. And is this the end of Weidl’s GM hopes? Probably not. He’s still young and has only been an assistant GM for a short time. But after the Steelers had a universally praised draft and a solid season, all things considered, nothing that would send up red flags on Weidl’s resume, and it’s a mild surprise Weidl’s name wasn’t mentioned during any part of this most recent hiring cycle considering how many jobs were available.
Of course, the Steelers probably aren’t upset about that, keeping Weidl for at least one more year as the organization tries to compete in a rugged AFC.
