Pittsburgh Steelers set to interview ESPN commentator for GM job

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will be stepping down following the 2022 NFL Draft. With a vacancy opening up soon, the Steelers have been eyeing a number of candidates for their GM role, and ESPN commentator Louis Riddick is now part of that list, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“The #Steelers are scheduled to interview ESPN commentator Louis Riddick for their vacant GM job, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted. “He last worked in the NFL as the #Eagles Director of Pro Personnel in 2013.

“A former Pitt player, Riddick joins a list of GM candidates that includes Ryan Cowden, JoJo Wooden, Ed Dodds, Omar Khan, and Brandon Hunt. The hire — replacing Kevin Colbert — will go into effect after the NFL Draft.”

Riddick played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and is a Perkasie (PA) native. He entered the NFL in 1991 after being selected in ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. In his NFL career, Riddick played for multiple teams across seven seasons.

Following his playing career, Riddick became a pro scout for the Washington Redskins, and he became Washington’s director of pro personnel from 2005-2007. He then joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a pro scout in 2008 before being promoted to assistant director of pro personnel in 2009. From 2010-2013, Riddick served as the Eagles director of pro personnel.

Riddick has since worked with ESPN as a football commentator. He has previously been linked to GM openings around the league, and now the Steelers are the latest team with rumored interest in Riddick.

More on the Steelers GM opening

Even though Colbert will be stepping down as the Steelers GM following the draft, he might be sticking with the organization. Steelers Art Rooney II recently acknowledged that possibility.

“We have left the door open, Kevin and I, to possibly have him fill an ongoing role after the draft,” Rooney said. “We will be conducting a search for a new GM starting immediately. Probably won’t make a hire until after the draft. We will be interviewing people. We’ve already interviewed two of our in-house candidates: Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt.”

Colbert began with the Steelers in 200, being promoted to GM in 2010. He has held the position ever since, and added vice president to his role in 2016.

The Steelers made the playoffs this season, but things will look very different next year. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has retired, leaving a giant question at quarterback moving forward.