Here’s a potential scenario some Green Bay Packers fans will love. Ian Rapoport has suggested that Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson may step aside after the season.
It’s the very scenario — and for the very reason — we’ve discussed on the podcast several times. Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf has been in demand around the league as a general manager candidate. The Packers have blocked him from interviewing for any of those openings and have repeatedly promoted him.
There’s nowhere else for Wolf to go in Green Bay other than into the GM seat. No doubt, he’ll again be in demand for any general manager openings that are available.
In other words, the Packers need to do something with Wolf soon.
GM Ted Thompson is under contract through 2018, but this could be the year he steps aside and becomes a senior scouting adviser. If Green Bay has success in the playoffs, that possibility increases. There are a few reasons why: First of all, Director of Football Operations Eliot Wolf is coveted and he’ll have opportunities to interview as a GM elsewhere. The organization could risk losing him if he’s not promoted. Second of all, CEO Mark Murphy still hasn’t hired his own guy, and he’s been around the organization much more this year as he studies things from the inside. There are plenty of talented people in the Packers front office — VP Russ Ball, Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst and Senior Personnel Executive Alonzo Highsmith among them. And this could be the year Thompson steps aside to make way for them.
Thompson giving up the general manager job would be music to the ears of many Packers fans. While the Packers have been undeniably successful during Thompson’s tenure, his build-exclusively-through-the-draft strategy is tiring to a lot of people.
Thompson hasn’t made meaningful free agent moves since 2006, with the exception of signing Julius Peppers in 2014. If you want to get technical, Peppers wasn’t even a free agent signing, since he was released by the Chicago Bears.
Regardless, Thompson has made just three major signings in 12 years on the job — Peppers, and Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett back in 2006.
Meanwhile, we watch so-called Thompson protégées like John Schneider and Reggie McKenzie use all means available to them to build their rosters.
Obviously, I fall into the camp who would love to see Thompson go. Frankly, I feel a change has been overdue.
But then, when just making the playoffs is good enough, Thompson is the type of general manager who is good enough. And that being said, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers just stuck to the status quo.
That seems to be what Mark Murphy is best at.