Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy says both general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy will get contract extensions.
Their current deals both run through 2012.
“We want Ted and Mike to be with the Packers long term, and I’m confident that they will be,” Murphy said.
Murphy will handle Thompson’s extension and Thompson will handle McCarthy’s. McCarthy, who got an extension after the Packers reached the 2007 NFC Championship game, currently makes $3.4 million per year, which now looks low.
New England coach Bill Belicheck is the highest-paid coach in the league at $7.5 million per season. Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith, who is also in line for an extension, is the highest-paid coach in the NFC North at $5.5 million per season. The San Francisco 49ers made the biggest splash on the coaching carousel this year by signing Jim Harbaugh to a deal at $5 million per year.
McCarthy’s number is likely to be north of $5 million per season, but the coach says he expects to finish his career with the Packers.
“I would hope this is my last job,” McCarthy said. “I’m a builder, and we have built something special. This program was built the right way, has quality people in Aaron Rodgers and all the way through that are going to lead this football team for a long time.”
With the Packers winning the Super Bowl, no one can argue that Thompson and McCarthy have earned long-term security. Negotiations should be nothing more than a formality.