Contract of GM Kevin Colbert will not be extended this season

With the news of a new contract extension for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on Thursday, it seemed reasonable to expect a new deal for general manager Kevin Colbert would also be imminent with his contract due to expire in 2020. However, as per a report by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday, it appears that will not be happening this season.

Dulac is reporting that it was Art Rooney II who confirmed the news with the PPG, with the decision to wait coming at the request of Colbert himself.

“At this stage of the game, he’s really not looking to do any long-term planning,” Rooney said. “We talked and we agreed he’d rather wait till after the season to talk about the contract.”

But with his contract set to expire after the 2020 NFL Draft, both ownership and fans must at least entertain the possibility that Colbert may chose to retire after the season. Having been with the team since 2000 and working in the NFL since 1985, it would be understandable if the 62-year-old general manger was thinking of moving on to the next stage in his life. That being said, there can be little question that his departure would be a huge loss for the Steelers.