As of today, Andy Weidl serves as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ assistant general manager. At some point in the future, he might drop that “assistant” label. Weidl made Sports Illustrated Albert Breer’s annual list of “hot names” of future general managers and one to be watched during this year’s hiring cycle.
“Plenty of people who’ve worked with him have asked why he doesn’t get mentioned more—and there’s a reason why Omar Khan, whose background was on the cap side, worked hard to get him to be his No. 2 after Kevin Colbert retired. Few have the path of having worked for three perennial winners that Weidl brings to the table.”
Omar Khan and Weidl briefly worked together in the late 1990s-early 2000s as members of the New Orleans Saints. Though their football paths took them to different cities, they remained close, with Weidl becoming Khan’s first hire after being named Kevin Colbert’s successor in May of 2022. A Pittsburgh native, Weidl’s first NFL job was interning with the Steelers, making his return a full circle moment.
Despite Pittsburgh being praised for a strong 2023 draft class and the Steelers making the playoffs a year ago, Weidl received little buzz during the last general manager cycle. There weren’t any reports of teams showing interest in him, much less in scheduling an interview. Perhaps the desire wasn’t there or Weidl made it clear he wasn’t interested in leaving.
With another playoff season, Andy Weidl could receive phone calls this time around. As Breer notes, his connections run deep to well-respected members around the league. Not just in Pittsburgh with men like Khan and Mike Tomlin. Weidl spent time in Baltimore with Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta and was Howie Roseman’s right-hand man in Philadelphia. Connections that certainly look impressive as resume references.
While Weidl was the only name listed, others in the Steelers’ front office could receive consideration. Pro Scouting Director Sheldon White is another worth mentioning. He spent nearly two decades in the Detroit Lions front office and even served as interim GM in 2015. After a brief stint in the college ranks, he returned to the NFL in 2021 before being hired by the Steelers in 2022.
Predicting when and where Weidl could land is impossible. It only takes one team to hire someone away. A half-dozen general manager jobs could open up this offseason. The New York Jets are already busy interviewing candidates (only those not with NFL teams are available to be requested right now). In fact, Weidl’s already been loosely connected to the job.
Though this kind of offseason chatter feels far away, it’s possible the Steelers’ season is over 10 days from now. If so, that makes Weidl fair game as the head coach and general manager cycle will ramp up.
