Kevin Colbert more concerned about improving Steelers than his contract status

Kevin Colbert has been working on a year-to-year basis as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers since he requested not to have his contract extended in July 2019.

Colbert, who is 64 and has worked for the Steelers since 2000, has a deal that runs through May and the conclusion of the NFL Draft. At this point last year, Colbert already had agreed to return for the 2020 season. No decision has been made this winter whether he will stay with the Steelers after his current deal expires.

And with the Steelers not having won a playoff game since the 2016 season, Colbert isn’t sure he’s worthy of a longer deal.

“Quite honestly, that’s all I deserve because we have to continue to prove ourselves year after year,” Colbert said Wednesday in a video conference call with reporters.

Although the Steelers started 11-0, finished 12-4 and won the AFC North for the first time in three seasons, they were bounced from the playoffs in the wild-card round by the Cleveland Browns. That marked the second consecutive home playoff loss for the Steelers, whose last postseason victory took place at Kansas City in the 2016 divisional round.

Getting the Steelers over that hump is Colbert’s priority — not his contract.

“We didn’t do good enough. That is the evaluation I’m making on myself,” Colbert said. “Art (Rooney II) and I will discuss it at the appropriate time. Now, we need to focus on the team. I’m signed through the end of May. We’ll have plenty of time to sort through that.”

Coach Mike Tomlin’s contract runs through the 2021 season, with an option for 2022 that has yet to be exercised. Although he doesn’t have final say on Tomlin’s future, Colbert does evaluate the job the coach does annually.

“I would say it’s the same way as my own — we weren’t good enough,” Colbert said. “When I say that, I mean ‘we.’ Coach can only do so much with the players he’s given. I can provide him with what I think are the right fits. When it works, great. When it doesn’t, we both know we weren’t good enough.”

Colbert then endorsed Tomlin to remain Steelers coach.

“Mike Tomlin has done so much more good in this league than not good,” he said. “Mike is an excellent NFL head coach. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been to two. Have we had the success we wanted to have recently? No, that’s a collective ‘we.’ We’ll just continue to work to make sure that doesn’t happen.”