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The Pittsburgh Steelers have held a second interview every day this week as they try to find their next General Manager (GM) after Kevin Colbert’s retirement after the 2022 NFL Draft.
On Tuesday, the Steelers announced they concluded a second interview with one of the candidates reported last week, Ryan Cowden of the Tennessee Titans. Wednesday came and it was reported the Steelers concluded their second interview with Doug Whaley. Thursday saw the team have a second interview with John Spytek of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We have completed a second round interview for our General Manager position with John Spytek (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 12, 2022
Spytek has been busy this offseason. He already this offseason has interviewed with both the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders as they were trying to find their next GMs.
For some background on Spytek, this is a great description from the Tampa Bay Times when the Vikings put in a formal request to interview Spytek for their GM opening:
Spytek is in his sixth season with Tampa Bay and his 18th in the NFL. Prior to joining the Bucs, Spytek spent three seasons with Denver, where he worked as the Southwest area scout in 2013 before being elevated to national scout, a position he held for two years (2014-15). He spent three seasons (2010-12) as Cleveland’s director of college scouting.
Spytek is in charge of the Bucs’ college and pro scouting departments, handles the preparation for free agency and works with general manager Jason Licht regarding the draft.
He was instrumental in the acquisition of free agents such as linebacker Shaquil Barrett, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, running back Leonard Fournette and trading for linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul.
When the Bucs decided to pursue Tom Brady in the 2020 offseason, it was Spytek who dubbed it Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson, from the movie Field of Dreams. “If you build it, he will come,’’ Spytek would tell Licht.
The Steelers have remained steadfast in their approach to naming their next GM. They haven’t been in any hurry, but it should be coming sooner than later with the draft in the rear view mirror. Will it be an outside hire, or someone in-house like Omar Khan and/or Brandon Hunt?
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they press on throughout the offseason.
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