The Pittsburgh Steelers make many “Win Now” moves, but because of this, Kevin Colbert may not have the financial ramifications of his decisions.
Immediately after the 2020 season, which ended in disaster for the Steelers, we didn’t know what the future held for this team. General Manager Kevin Colbert was in the final year of his contract and we didn’t know exactly how the team would hold up Ben Roethlisberger.
More than six months later, most of these questions have been answered – at least for the time being. Colbert signed a one-year extension in March that will keep him as Steelers GM until the 2022 NFL draft. Unfortunately, the Steelers could kneel a little on the street.
To keep a competitive squad for the coming season, Colbert and his front office staff have been handing out a handful of annulable annual contracts. The purpose of these deals is to keep a player’s cap for the 2021 season low and to push dead money into the future once their contracts expire.
Stephon Tuitt and Joe Schobert are the most recent examples of this. To free up additional cap space in 2021, Pittsburgh added voidable years to each of its contracts to get some dead money on its way.
While this is a solid philosophy to try to compete for a Super Bowl this season, Colbert may not even be around to see the financial implications of his business decisions for the Steelers.
Is Colbert damaging the Steelers’ future chances?
Kevin Colbert has served year on year as General Manager of Steelers for some time. However, there are many who believe this could really be his last deal with the team and that new management could take over after the 2022 NFL draft. If so, Colbert will not be forced to grapple with the implications of the voidable year contracts he has issued, and he will not be here to help rebuild this team.
Don’t get me wrong, I think what Colbert did is brilliant. He was able to save Pittsburgh’s roster in a year they had notable sales due to the pandemic lowering the salary cap.
Most fans would immediately take a chance at another Super Bowl title – even if that means kicking the can and not having enough money to rebuild the team in years to come.
Unfortunately, many disagree on the legitimacy of Pittsburgh’s chances of a Super Bowl this year – despite all the steps they have taken this off-season. The team’s success depends so much on Ben Roethlisberger and the offensive line. If these things don’t improve by leaps and bounds in 2021, Colbert’s move could prove to be all for not.
I have little doubt that Kevin Colbert is one of the best general managers in the NFL and he was instrumental in building the championship lists in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, we have to consider the possibility that he might be gone soon and the Steelers will have to pick up the broken pieces.
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