Colbert on year to year contract

I heard that Art Rooney II spoke to Colbert directly about the contract. Colbert stated he wanted it that way I believe. Either way, you are right about his recent draft hauls.


Bush, Edmunds and Washington all have to perform beyond their expectations this year. Biggest one though is still Devin Bush. Part of Pittsburgh's playoff hopes rest on his development.

 

The entire face of the organization is likely to change within the next few years. Roethlisberger, Tomlin, and Colbert are likely to leave around the same time.

 

Add Dupree as well. Lots of crow will be eaten if this goes south.

 

Reading between the lines, it seems like the Steelers were ready to extend Colbert as well as Tomlin, but Colbert declined. He is 62, and might not want to do the job much longer. And looks like he's giving the team the heads up, so that they can plan accordingly. I'm not judging any (or much) dissatisfaction with his drafting. He's made mistakes, but who hasn't?

 

I can see that coming. Colbert requesting this you can see the writing on the wall. Tomlin may very well be thinking it is time as well. Very few head coaches last long in the NFL, that said usually when a GM comes in he wants to have his own guy as HC. Colbert mat leave before MT and BEN, but they won't be far behind.

 

Overall, Colbert has been a very good GM, but he has to take some blame for the mess of the past year or so right along with Tomlin.

 

Even deeper than that... The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires about the same time Tomliin+Colbert+Ben's contracts are up. All related I believe. If there are wild changes in the new CBA, all three could be gone at the same time. Blowing up the roster and the management all at the same time. THEN IT'S ALL GOING TO BE ON ART ROONEY II. Too bad his contract isn't up, depending on how you feel about him.

 

Big changes coming in the next few years alright. Ben will retire within three years and some of the other stalwarts like Pouncey, DeCastro, Foster and Heyward won’t be too far behind him. The Steelers have always been good at rebuilding on the fly but that is going to be a huge disruption in a relatively short timeframe.

If the next couple of drafts are good then maybe the damage can be minimised but it’s not a stretch to assume that the post Ben era may be a rocky road for a while. I would not blame Colbert for walking away before that point given his age and his legacy. The mental and physical toll of running an NFL team must be immense and he has probably earned enough to set himself and his family up very comfortably at this stage.

He has been a very good GM overall. Yes he drafted a couple of busts but what team hasn’t? Very few teams have the sustained success that the Steelers enjoy and you could argue that the franchise had the best roster in football for a few years recently. That doesn’t happen by accident. They really should have won a title with that team and it will be a huge source of regret for the players and everyone associated with the organisation that they didn’t. I and many others fear the chance has passed now.

 

IMO Kevin Colbert is the second best GM over the past 20 years. Drafting future Hall of Famers to even role players who were significant in those two Super Bowl victories in the 2000s was nothing short of incredible. When those "Renegade" defenses started to age, Kevin had to rebuild yet again; an offensive juggernaut being born as a result.



Granted, even with the likes of Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell and countless others, we did not win anything. Still, Kevin has kept the Steelers in contention since 2000; only one losing season as a result over that period. For that matter, I see two more HOF caliber players on the roster currently.



@Steel_Elvis is correct. We could do FAR worse.

 

I think they ride Ben until the end. At that point it will all change. The o-line, defensive line, and many coches. I will say it may not be as bad as most think. We have started to bring in a lot of o-lineman to work on. Butts and barrages should be solid on the d-line still. Juju, dj, and Washington should make the receivers solid still. Mason should be solid enough by then. TE will need replacing. RB could still be OK. Defensive backfield may be a wreck but there should be some money to play with. I have a feeling by then Austin may be our next year coach in waiting.