The Las Vegas Raiders are requesting an interview with Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Pro Scouting Sheldon White, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday evening.
White, hired in 2022, handles the Steelers’ pro personnel side. That includes free agency evaluation, weekly tryouts, and evaluating opposing rosters throughout the preseason and summer as teams trim their rosters to 53. We outlined some of his responsibilities in an April article.
A long-time NFL front office member, White broke into scouting in 1997 after a multi-year playing career. He served as a scout with the Detroit Lions in the same building Kevin Colbert worked in before becoming the Steelers’ de facto general manager in 2000.
White remained in Detroit for nearly two decades, working his way up to Vice President of Pro Personnel and briefly serving as interim general manager in 2015 after Martin Mayhew was fired mid-way through the season. He moved to the college ranks and worked at Michigan State from 2016 through 2020 before returning to the NFL as a scout for the Washington Football Team in 2021. Pittsburgh hired him shortly after Omar Khan was named general manager in May 2022.
Sheldon White is the father of NFL receiver Cody White, who spent several years in the Steelers’ organization. He was signed and rostered before his dad was hired.
Sheldon White has attended several league seminars that emphasize minority hiring, and he’s likely built up plenty of NFL connections over the years. Should the Raiders hire him, the Steelers would receive third-round draft compensation for the 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts.
After firing Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco, the Raiders are looking for a new regime. Reportedly, they are in the mix to hire Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, using Tom Brady’s influence in an attempt to sell Johnson on the job. However, after virtual interviews for most of the league’s job openings, Johnson has shut down discussions and is focusing on leading the Lions through the postseason.
For Pittsburgh, losing Sheldon White would be a key loss to their front office. It’s notable that White is the first team executive this year to receive an interview request instead of Assistant GM Andy Weidl.
