La Canfora: No Clear Favorite in Steelers GM Search

The Pittsburgh Steelers general manager search is winding down, with six candidates having received a second interview with the team so far nearing the end of the expected final week of that process, but there is not a clear-cut favorite for who will earn the position, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora.

“I don’t know how to handicap this right now,” La Canfora said Friday on 93.7 The Fan. “I don’t know that the Steelers, going all the way up to the tippy top in ownership knew exactly how this was going to play out. It’s been somewhat organic.”

But La Canfora said he’s somewhat surprised that the Steelers internal candidates Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt have not locked down the role in some fashion.

“Personally, I’m a little surprised it’s gone to this depth, just because of knowing what they have in-house and knowing how well some of those individuals are thought of, and how in many cases, they’ve sort of been groomed for expanding roles, whatever that title might be,” La Canfora said.

In fact, La Canfora suggested that duo might share the role in some form or fashion, and that the Steelers could do that and bring in an outside hire like former Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley, who is one of the finalists for the position.

“Do you see one or two people promoted in-house and then sort of a second tier where some new blood is added, maybe some new old blood like a Doug Whaley back in the fold and maybe not necessarily running things, but being part of the machine again?” he speculated. “I think there’s a possibility to go into a multitude of ways.”

The idea that Khan and Hunt could share the role is not new, having been suggested months back by Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. Khan is the only person in the process that does not have a scouting background and seems better suited for a team president role.

“I would have thought, that they would have at least known internally, what they were going to do far before now, whether they were ready to announce it or not,” he said. “That’s not the case and the process is ongoing, so I don’t know. It’s not like they’ve whittled it down to like one or two.”