The Pittsburgh Steelers already lost Mike Tomlin this offseason. The organization could possibly lose assistant general manager Andy Weidl as well.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly reported late Tuesday night the Atlanta Falcons plan to interview Weidl for their open general manager position.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that report Wednesday, posting on X that the Falcons have requested to interview Weidl. Schefter also reported Atlanta has requested to speak with three other candidates for general manager.
Weidl isn’t a super well-known executive among Pittsburgh fans. But Steelers pundits expressed Tuesday night that losing him would be a significant blow to Pittsburgh’s front office.
“Well, that’d suck if Weidl left,” wrote Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora on X.
“Weidl has been with the Steelers since May of 2022 and is a well-respected personnel evaluator around league circles,” wrote Kaboly.
According to Schefter, Weidl is competing with Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert, San Francisco 49ers executive Josh Williams and Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham for the Falcons job.
Andy Weidl’s Role With the Pittsburgh Steelers
Weidl has served as Steelers assistant general manager since 2022. But his ties to the Steelers and Pennsylvania go back decades.
A Pittsburgh native, Weidl played high school football at Mt. Lebanon. He then attended Villanova as an offensive guard.
Weidl began his career as a Steelers intern from 1998-99. He worked under Steelers general manager Omar Khan with the New Orleans Saints as a National Combine Scout in 2000. Weidl then served as a scout under top NFL executive Ozzie Newsome with the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2016, Weidl joined the Philadelphia Eagles as an assistant director of player personnel. Focusing mostly on the draft while with the Eagles from 2016-21, Weidl helped the organization build a Super Bowl champion in 2017.
The draft picks he played a hand in selecting also began to form the core the Eagles still have today. Philadelphia made Super Bowl appearances again in 2022 and 2024.
The past three drafts haven’t yielded postseason wins in Pittsburgh. But the hope is Khan and Weidl are laying a similar foundation with selections such as first-round picks Derrick Harmon, Troy Fautanu, and Broderick Jones.
Since Weidl joined the Steelers, the team has also selected Zach Frazier, Payton Wilson, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Mason McCormick, Darnell Washington, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer.
Chances Weidl Leaves for Atlanta Falcons?
It was disappointing for some Steelers pundits to hear Weidl could leave Pittsburgh. But if there’s good news Wednesday, Kaboly doesn’t see Weidl as the frontrunner in Atlanta.
“Assistant general manager Andy Weidl will interview with the Atlanta Falcons for their open GM spot, but I wouldn’t anticipate that he would get the job,” Kaboly wrote Wednesday. “I see him having a better chance next year.”
The Steelers probably aren’t going to be able to retain Weidl forever. Khan is only 48 years old. If Weidl seeks to be an NFL GM, it’s very likely not going to happen in his hometown.
But it would be greatly beneficial to the Steelers if they don’t lose Weidl and Tomlin during the same offseason.
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