With a little more than a month left on his contract, Kevin Colbert has agreed to remain as the Steelers' general manager through the 2022 draft.
Colbert, who signed a one-year extension last February, will enter his 22nd season in the organization. Colbert has been working on one-year contracts for the past several years.
"I am excited to announce that we have extended the contract of Kevin Colbert for an additional year," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. "Kevin has been instrumental to the success of our franchise over the last two decades, and we are happy to have him continue for another year."
Colbert, 64, has been a major contributor to Pittsburgh's success over the past two decades. During his 20 years with the organization, the Steelers have won two Super Bowls, three AFC championships and 10 division titles. The Steelers have qualified for the playoffs 13 times and have had just one losing season during that span. Pittsburgh's current run of 17 consecutive non-losing seasons is the NFL's longest such streak.
"It has been such an honor to be in this position with the Steelers for over 20 years," Colbert said. "I want to thank Art Rooney for his continued support in extending my contract another year. We've been able to accomplish some great things, but my determination to help the Steelers reach our ultimate goal – to win another Super Bowl – has never been greater."
A Pittsburgh native, Colbert grew up cheering for the Steelers during their run of four Super Bowl wins during the '70s. He broke into the NFL as a BLESTO scout in 1984. He then spent five seasons with the Dolphins' scouting department before spending 10 seasons as the Lions' pro scouting director. Colbert was named the Steelers' director of football operations in 2000 before being named the team's general manager in 2010.
Under Colbert's watch, the Steelers have drafted many future Pro Bowl players that include Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey, Ryan Shazier, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Emmanuel Sanders, Mike Wallace, James Conner, David DeCastro, Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Casey Hampton, and Heath Miller, among others. He also traded up in the 2006 draft to acquire receiver Santonio Holmes, who two years later would turn in an MVP performance in Pittsburgh's win over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. In 2019, he traded a future first-round pick to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has blossomed into an All-Pro performer in Pittsburgh. That season, he also traded up in the draft to acquire linebacker Devin Bush, who became an immediate starter for the Steelers' defense.
Colbert has a busy offseason ahead of him, as several prominent Steelers -- specifically JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree -- are slated to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday. Pittsburgh is looking to bounce back following a disappointing wild card playoff loss to the Browns. The 2020 Steelers started 11-0 before losing five out of their last six games.
