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Doug Whaley

Latest On Steelers’ GM Search

May 24th, 2022 at 10:20am CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers have undergone a meticulous search to find outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert‘s replacement. The list of preferred candidates has reportedly been finalized.

Pittsburgh has concluded their interviews for the position, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The team initially met with 16 executives representing a noteworthy cross-section of internal and external personnel. That list was then narrowed down to six candidates, each of whom received a second look.

Included among the finalists are Brandon Hunt and Omar Khan. The former has worked in Pittsburgh on two separate occasions, the most recent stint beginning in 2010; he is currently the team’s pro scouting director. Hunt has also received interest for a significant front-office role in Philadelphia. The latter, meanwhile, has been with the Steelers since 2001, working his way up to the role of vice president of football and business administration and generating interest on a number of occasions from other teams during previous GM hiring cycles.

The other second interviewees come from outside the organization: Ryan Cowden, John Spytek and Andy Weidl, who work in the player personnel departments for the Titans, Buccaneers and Eagles, respectively. The other external name to be given notable consideration is Doug Whaley, who began his front office career with the Steelers before a stint as the Bills’ GM and, most recently, a position with the re-booted XFL.

Dulac notes that it remains to be seen if the six-name list is reduced even further before a hire is made. He adds that there is still “no specific timeframe” for when the new GM will be named.

Here is the complete breakdown of the Steelers’ search:

2022 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

May 18th, 2022 at 5:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Along with the head coaches being fired, a few NFL teams are looking for new general managers. Listed below are the GM candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status.

If and when other teams decide to make GM changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 5-24-22 (9:03pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers To Conduct Second GM Interview With Doug Whaley

May 9th, 2022 at 9:05am CST by Adam La Rose

Another candidate for the Steelers’ general manager position has emerged. The team will be conducting a second interview with Doug Whaley, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Steelers To Hold Second Interviews With Cowden, Spytek]

Whaley began his tenure in NFL front offices with the Steelers. He was hired by Pittsburgh in 2000 as a pro personnel coordinator, beginning years of tutelage under outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert. One decade later, he joined the Bills under the titles of assistant general manager and director of pro personnel, which he held for three seasons before becoming general manager.

Whaley’s tenure at the helm in Buffalo saw plenty of roster and coaching staff turnover. In 2015, he was part of the group that hired Rex Ryan as head coach – a stint which lasted less than two full seasons. More encouragingly, he was also involved in the hiring process for Ryan’s replacement, current HC Sean McDermott. It was during the latter’s first season that the team matched its best record under Whaley at 9-7.

Despite the lack of team success on the field – a result, in part, of decisions like trading up to draft Sammy Watkins fourth overall and signing Marcell Dareus to a lucrative contract – Whaley received an extension after the 2016 season. That came amidst speculation regarding his job security, ultimately becoming a moot point one year later. He was fired immediately after the 2017 draft.

That was the last time Whaley worked in an NFL front office. After a brief stint as a recruiter for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, he was hired as a part of the re-started XFL. After the announcement of another re-booting of the league, it was announced in November he would regain his role working alongside the likes of Russ Brandon and Marc Ross.

With the news of a third second-interview candidate in Pittsburgh, here is an updated look at their search:

Steelers’ GM Interviews Continue

March 19th, 2022 at 6:06pm CST by Ely Allen

In what continues to be one of the widest ranging general manager searches in recent history, the Steelers announced three more interviews that took place earlier this week. Jerry Reese, Rick Spielman, and Doug Whaley were added to a list of interviewed candidates that now totals up to 16.

Reese is a former general manager for the Giants. Reese served 23 years in New York’s front office starting as a college scout and progressing through the roles of pro scout to director of player personnel and, eventually, to general manager. His first season as general manager saw the team win their first Super Bowl in 17 years, and the Giants earned a second ring under Reese just four years later. After a 2-10 start to the 2017 season, Reese was fired along with then-head coach Ben McAdoo in a rare midseason double canning. In the years since his firing, teams have reached out to Reese. In 2018, Reese turned down an interview for the Raiders’ general manager position that would eventually go to Mike Mayock. Last year, Reese interviewed for the Panthers’ and Jaguars’ open general manager jobs that eventually went to Scott Fitterer and Trent Baalke, respectively. This is the first time Reese’s name has been mentioned in general manager searches this year.

Spielman is a longtime veteran of NFL front offices who formerly served as the general manager for both the Dolphins and the Vikings. In 1990, Spielman started in Detroit as a college scout for five seasons before adding pro scouting responsibilities to his plate for two more. Spielman took on the position of director of pro personnel for the Bears in 1997 and, three years later, took a similar role as vice president of player personnel in Miami. In four seasons, Spielman elevated to senior vice president of football operations to eventually spend one season as the team’s general manager. Spielman left the role and worked 2005 with ESPN as an NFL analyst before returning to football as the vice president of player personnel for the Vikings the next year. After six seasons in that role, Spielman was elevated to general manager, a position he held until being fired a little over two months ago. For the Vikings, Spielman saw success in all aspects of player acquisition bringing in contributors like wide receiver Mike Wallace through trade and quarterback Kirk Cousins through free agency. He also had an eye for undrafted talent, signing the likes of safety Andrew Sendejo and wide receiver Adam Thielen. This is the first job interest he’s received since being fired earlier this year.

Whaley is another former NFL general manager, this time for the Bills. He began his NFL career as a pro personnel coordinator for the Steelers in 2000. For ten years he worked under Kevin Colbert and is credited with helping to scout and draft such defensive stars as pass rusher Lamarr Woodley, safety Troy Polamalu, and linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Whaley was eventually named the assistant general manager and director of pro personnel for the Bills in 2010. Three years later, Whaley took over for Buddy Nix as general manager. He notably moved up in the draft to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins, a move questioned by some as fellow receivers Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., and Brandin Cooks were picked later in the same draft. He also notably traded linebacker Kiko Alonso for running back LeSean McCoy in 2015, seeing McCoy enjoy great success for the next three years as a Bill. Whaley was relieved of his duties following the 2017 NFL Draft and became a recruiter for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl for a season before getting hired as the senior vice president of football operations for the XFL. He was shortly laid off due to COVID-19, but was rehired recently as the league’s vice president of player personnel. Like the other two names above, this is the first mention of interest in Whaley this year.

The Steelers continue to search far and wide in their efforts to replace Colbert. Stay up to date on the search through our 2022 NFL General Manager Search Tracker.

XFL Hires Russ Brandon, Doug Whaley, Marc Ross

November 10th, 2021 at 1:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

By the time the XFL returns for its third launch, two years without major spring football will have passed. But the Dwayne Johnson-spearheaded league remains intent on restarting again in 2023.

XFL 3.0 made some notable hires recently. Former Bills CEO Russ Brandon is coming aboard as the league’s president, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com notes. In addition to Brandon’s post, the XFL is hiring ex-Giants exec Marc Ross as executive VP and will bring back another ex-Bills GM in Doug Whaley to work with Ross.

This marks a return to a major post for Brandon, whose 20-plus-year Bills tenure ended in 2018. Brandon worked as Bills GM in the late 2000s but was with the franchise from 1997-2018. Brandon held an advisory role with RedBird Capital Partners, which joined Johnson in buying the XFL out of bankruptcy.

An 11-year Giants staffer, Ross interviewed for the team’s GM job that went to Dave Gettleman. After landing the gig, Gettleman fired Ross, who landed with the NFL Network. Ross, who also worked with Brandon in Buffalo, rose to the post of Giants college scouting director. He will oversee on-field operations, Seifert adds.

Whaley was with the XFL during its second launch, under Vince McMahon in 2020, and worked with Brandon in Buffalo during his four-season GM stay. The Bills parted ways with Whaley after the 2017 draft.

Fritz Pollard Alliance Recommends GM Candidates

December 14th, 2018 at 11:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance has released its annual list of minority candidates for general manager vacancies. Much like the latest batch of recommended coaching hires, the suggested GM list is more than twice as long as last year’s. 

[RELATED: Fritz Pollard Alliance Recommends Head Coaching Candidates]

Here’s the full rundown, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link):

  • Ray Agnew (Rams)
  • Joey Clinkscales (Raiders)
  • Quentin Harris (Cardinals)
  • Alonzo Highsmith (Browns)
  • Brad Holmes (Rams)
  • Champ Kelly (Bears)
  • Martin Mayhew (49ers, ex-Lions GM)
  • Will McClay (Cowboys)
  • Jimmy Raye III (Lions)
  • Jerry Reese (ex-Giants GM)
  • Doug Whaley (ex-Bills GM)
  • Doug Williams (Redskins)

 

Clinkscales, Highsmith, McClay, and Williams were all featured on last year’s list, but none of those executives landed GM jobs. The only executive from the last round of recommendations who did not carry over to this year was Ray Farmer, the former Browns GM who is currently serving as a senior consultant with the Rams.

Of the dozen suggested executives on this list, only three sat for GM interviews in the last cycle: Mayhew (Panthers), Raye (Texans), and Whaley (Packers). McClay was asked to interview for the Texans opening, but declined the opportunity and instead signed a two-year extension to stay with the Cowboys. McClay may garner consideration again this time around, but he might not be interested in leaving Dallas.

East Notes: Dolphins, Patriots, Obi, Eagles

November 8th, 2018 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Ryan Tannehill won’t be available when the Dolphins face the Packers this weekend, he’s expected to return to action after Miami’s Week 11 bye, head coach Adam Gase told reporters today (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Tannehill hasn’t played since Week 5, as a shoulder injury has forced the Dolphins to turn to backup Brock Osweiler, who’s posted a 2-2 record with Tannehill on the shelf. Miami has been reticent to release any sort of timeline on Tannehill’s recovery to this point, so the mere fact that the club has highlighted a possible return date is seemingly good news.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • When the Patriots signed defensive back Obi Melifonwu earlier this week, they actually inked him to a two-year deal through 2019, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. While Melifonwu will only earn minimum base salaries over the next two seasons, he did receive $100K guaranteed in 2019. Given his experience level, Melifonwu would have been an exclusive rights free agent next spring, meaning New England could have kept him at little cost. But as Volin notes, the fact that the Patriots added guarantees to Melifonwu’s deal indicates they had competition for the ex-Raider (the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Saints also worked out the former second-rounder). Melifonwu can collect a $25K workout bonus, a $30K Week 1 roster bonus, and $125K in per-game roster bonuses next season.
  • The XFL has hired former Bills general manager Doug Whaley as its senior vice president of football operations, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Whaley led Buffalo’s front office from 2013-17, but never the club never made a postseason appearance under his leadership. After interviewing for both the Browns and Packers general manager positions earlier this year, Whaley took on a gig as the director of scouting for the NFLPA’s Collegiate Bowl. For what it’s worth, the XFL isn’t scheduled to get under way until 2020, so Whaley could conceivably return to the NFL before then.
  • While the Eagles ultimately made only one trade (swinging a deal for Lions receiver Golden Tate), it sounds like the Birds may have targeted other positions before last week’s deadline. “You try to see if there’s a [defensive back] out there,” Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson said today, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “You maybe see if there’s another pass rusher out there and then what are you giving up as a team?” The Eagles recently lost 2017 first-round pick Derek Barnett for the rest of the year, so adding another edge defender certainly wouldn’t have been out of the question.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Decker, Dolphins

June 20th, 2018 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Eric Decker is one of several big-name free agents still looking for a home in June and we haven’t heard his name mentioned much since his spring visits with the Raiders and Ravens. However, Decker has some thoughts on where he might fit in.

“I think the Patriots would be a good fit [especially since I was] drafted by Josh McDaniels in Denver,” Decker told SiriusXM (on Twitter). “I talked with New England last year during the Free Agency process in June. That is always an option that I would definitely love to entertain.”

The Patriots will be without Julian Edelman to start the season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to go out-of-house for a free agent addition. The Pats still have Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson to hold down the fort while sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios and Malcolm Mitchell are among those fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster. When you also consider the presence of special teams ace Matthew Slater, there might not be room for someone like Decker in New England.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports posits that the Dolphins are among the potential fits for free agent safety Ron Parker. Parker was arguably the most consistent member of the Chiefs’ secondary in 2017, though he was out of place playing in the box to make up for Eric Berry‘s absence. Paylor also suggests the Bucs and Cowboys as potential suitors.
  • The NFL Players Association has named former Bills GM Doug Whaley as the director of college scouting for their annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He’ll head up recruitment, evaluation, and the selection process of players as he continues to stay involved in the league. Whaley interviewed for the Packers’ GM job this year before the team promoted Brian Gutekunst to the position.

Packers Interviewed Doug Whaley

January 11th, 2018 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Before settling on Brian Gutekunst as their new GM, the Packers interviewed Doug Whaley for the job, as Michael Cohen of the Journal Sentinel writes. Whaley was the only out-of-house candidate to interview for the job. Doug Whaley

[RELATED: Packers Notes: Whitt, O’Neil, Graham, Staff]

“Doug Whaley really did a job with the interview,” Murphy said. “I think it was not confirmed, but he was the fourth interview. I knew him a little bit, so I enjoyed having a chance to spend some time with him. I’m a Bills fan, so I follow the Bills a little more closely than some of the other teams. But he put together that roster, and it’s a playoff team without a great quarterback. It made the playoffs. They have a good roster. I think that was a tribute to him. Very interesting candidate. Fascinating background. Was a stockbroker for a year, about to be a pilot and done a lot of good things. And obviously served as a GM and his background with the Steelers was intriguing, too.”

The Bills didn’t win a ton of games under Whaley’s watch, but they did snap their playoff drought this year with a roster that has Whaley’s fingerprints all over it. That was enough to garner Whaley interviews for the Packers’ opening as well as the Browns’ GM job, though it’s unlikely that Cleveland genuinely considered any candidate other than John Dorsey.

Packers Interested In Doug Whaley As GM?

January 3rd, 2018 at 6:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Doug Whaley could be a candidate for the Packers’ GM vacancy. Whaley is “expected to draw interest” from Green Bay, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Doug Whaley (vertical)

Whaley was fired by the Bills less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2017 draft. The timing of the move puzzled many in the football world, but it was not an overall shock to see the Bills move on from him. During his time at the helm, the Bills’ best record was 9-7 and they did not qualify for the playoffs in any of his four seasons. He also made some big blunders, like the team’s trade to land Sammy Watkins in the 2014 draft and the onerous contract given to Marcell Dareus.

Still, it seems as though Whaley is receiving some credit for his role in the Bills’ current success. Although coach Sean McDermott and longtime ally Brandon Beane are running the show, the roster has Whaley’s fingerprints all over it. This year, the Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought and they could make some noise if they can get past the Jaguars in the Wild Card round.

In December, the Browns interviewed Whaley for their GM post before giving the job to John Dorsey. Many speculated that the interview was a sham and done only to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

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