It’s the news I have been waiting for for years. Ted Thompson will no longer be the Green Bay Packers’ general manager.
That’s not to say he won’t still be with the organization. Thompson will reportedly transition into another role. It has long thought that would either be an advisory role or he’d go back to being a scout. Friends of Thompson have suggested that’s what he really enjoys.
Sources: #Packers GM Ted Thompson is expected to transition into a new role within the organization. The team will begin a search for a new GM. Bombshell.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2018
Thank god. The diminishing returns the Packers have been getting through the good old draft-and-develop philosophy has started to show. It became crystal clear how the greatness of Aaron Rodgers masked the other fatal flaws of the team’s roster, this year.
As far as transitioning into another role, I think it’s a nice way of saying thanks for drafting Aaron Rodgers and bringing us that one Super Bowl, we’re not going to fire you, but it’s time to let someone else do this job. You can frame it however you like.
As far as the search for a new GM goes, there are obviously some qualified in-house candidates. Chief among those would be Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutenkunst. Both have interviewed for other GM jobs around the league and have repeatedly been promoted within the Packers’ organization, usually after taking those interviews.
That being the case, we still expect the Packers to cast a wide net and look outside the organization, as well.
And you know what that means. A new GM — especially if that person comes from outside the organization — typically wants to hire their own coach. So, Mike McCarthy might not be 100 percent safe at this point.
I’m not one of those who would give an enema to the whole football side of the organization. I think McCarthy can still do the job. He obviously needed someone who can get the defense in line and the process of that started with the firing of Dom Capers.
However, Thompson needed to move on. This is the graceful way of making that happen.
Way to finally grow a set of nuts, Ginger Gap Tooth.
Happy Festivus !
The grievances have been aired – hallelujah !!!!
The fly catching shot on national tv might’ve done him in.
I particularly like “Mike McCarthy might not be 100 percent safe at this point.”
Let the Eliot Wolf era begin
It will 100% be Wolf running the show. The team doesn’t make the moves of extending players if there were going to be large changes and an outside person coming in.
I am still very skeptical of of Wolf. But we shall see.
Yea I am too. I’m at the point where I just want this entire regime out. Just looking at how other teams operate and go for it when the window is open . The Packers are so behind the ball on all that shit. Livin and dying on Rodgers. That’s what they’ve doing the last decade.
I am skeptical too.
Ron Wolf spent time with 4-5 teams, one that had won the Super Bowl, before joining the Packers. He was a football guy. He had connections.
His son smacks of nepotism.
WooHoo!!! 2018 is starting off great! Send Ted off to scout talent at The Villages in Florida. It’s a big retirement village. He’ll fit in perfectly there.
We should be cautious of this news. Last year at about this time it was rumored that Ted would step down at the end of the 2017 season and take a job as senior scouting advisor. This has been in the works for a while. There must be a strong willed GM to override Teds scouting advise if warranted. An internal promotion could mean the same if the team is not careful in how this is structured. I still believe this has to be an internal promotion based on the Adams and Linsley extensions.
Exactly. Go figure that the good old boys keep TT around. Why transition him to a new role? That is a total TT move in and of itself. The tables have turned, Thompson has become a conversion project! Is this Soviet Russia??Can’t do his own job so maybe he can do something else if we stick with it for several years. Hopefully the next GM will draft players for positions that they actually play.
It’s real Howard. They should give Ted a nice comfortable chair on the executive committee to collect his last checks. Keep him out of football operations, enough damage has been done.
Keep it going boys! Fire all dem asses! CLEAN HOUSE! YEE HAW! Whos next! McCnugget! This is better then making the playoffs!
Gingy Gap Tooth grew a pair!!!
Yee frickin ha!
Having a GM position up in the air makes it look like the Packers will promote a defensive coordinator from current remaining defense position coaches.
Not sure if I was a quality defensive coordinator from outside the organization that I would want to sign on with a head coach/team that is bringing in a new GM, unless promised something. That new GM, even if promoted from within could fire the current head coach, and staff this year or next. That may not be a position with good longevity.
Wow… Sounds good to me
Peace out Capers & thanks for a ring, Big Ted
What is you you believe McNugget can still do? Be conservative, predictable and stubborn with his play calling and personnel usage? Doublespeak with the best of them? Hire another Defensive Coordinator from inside 1265 to continue the current defensive shit show? Yeah, he can still maintain his status quo. Let us hope no extensions are forthcoming for him.
First of all, thank you Anthony Barr! Without you, nothing changes. Now we regroup and kick your classless ass next year!
Hallayfuckinglouyah! Now Ted can move on to where he’s most comfortable, in his casket
Now if McBlobby gets axed all prayers are answered. Best day since Ray Rhodes got shit canned
I am floored, i heard this in my truck awhile ago. Not sure the details on how this went down, and we’ll probably never know. A couple plausible explanations might be….
1) That video of Ted mouth breathing on National TV might have been enough for Ted to realize it’s time to step aside.
2) Or….That same video was enough for discussions and a decision to be made concerning Ted’s position by the Board and/or Executive Committee.
I say, it’s about fucking time.
They say he’s going to transition to another position, talk is maybe an adviser or scout. Personally, i don’t think he’s qualified to do either. I don’t say that to be smug, or that i know everything, i say that because his recent history show’s it. It’s my contention that they’ll keep him on at his current salary through his current contract, reportedly through the draft of 2019.
So now we move on. This move was monumentally important regarding Aaron Rodgers shelf life.
I’m very happy about this, and now after the hiring of a new GM, the hard work starts with restoring some of the damage that has been done. Not to mention hard. cold decisions that need to be made sooner rather than later. This team could not afford to have Ted hand out anymore new contracts.
Maybe now we can draft players at the positions they are skilled at, and got them to the NFL to begin with.
I have to be honest, as i’ve posted earlier, i had lost hope in Rodgers getting another shot at a ring under this regime. I didn’t see this coming, and now i have a little more renewed hope. Two thoughts i have are….
1) There are no guarantee’s.
2) We have a better chance at getting to a Super Bowl today, than we did yesterday i believe.
It’s a good day.
Never thought the day would come. Let us enjoy it for now.
I couldnt have had a better day as a Packer fan other than us winning the Super Bowl! Ive been saying all week that the Capers firing meant nothing to me if TT was still in charge. Now he is gone. Dont be fooled about the “moving elsewhere in the orginization.” TT’s contract was likely guaranteed. Might as well delegate him to some Florida scouting office where he can golf and drool on a cribbage board. This was just the Packers staying classy. Mike Mccarthy is likely coming back but I would no longer in any way call him safe. Mccarthy was Teds boy through and through. A new GM will have his own ideas about what he wants in a coach. That might still be Mike and might not be. The new GM might even be willing to see if MM can adapt to the new culture, give him a free pass for a year. But make no doubts, even if MM is back this year he will be under the scope for the first time in a long time Im willing to bet Aaron is smiling his ass off tonight. Does anyone believe this has nothing to do with Arod’s contract up for redo? Of course its a factor. Could you imagine walking into a negotiating room with his agent if nothing had changed and trying to sell his agent on the status quo? I am going to sleep like a baby tonight..:)
Two out of three oughta be good… isn’t it?
McCarthy can be disconcerting at times. He can at times come up with a creative gameplan, when the occasion calls for it, but if let to his own devises, he will snap back to “run up the middle, run up the middle, pass (and hope and pray for a 3rd and long completion)”. He will keep only Nelson, Adams, Cobb in the field, will not use the TEs meaningfully, will ask his WRs to win 1-on-1 isolation routes (no separation given by play design). Then, when playing from behind, and normally the game is out of reach (and the opponent lets up a it) the offense snaps back to life and gets creative. If somehow playing with a lead, then he will go back to his comfort (and predictable) zone and let go of any creativity.
Very good post Rebel.
Now what is interesting, aside from a new GM being named, is McCarthys standing with the Packers. He’s heading into the last year of his contract, and Ted didn’t sign him to an extension. So that leaves some questions…
1) Soes the new GM keep him around?
2) If so, does he let McCarthy go into next season as a lame duck coach?
3) Do they hire someone from within, and McChubby gets an extension shortly after?
This season proved to be very entertaining.
4) Do they get a designated offensive coordinator and finally make McCarthy be a head coach?
No, they do not get a dedicated OC. He tried being a head coach once, and we all remember how that turned out. He said when taking the job back from Clements he wasn’t giving up play calling again. That could work in our favor though. GM could say “Didn’t want to conform to the new vision, needed to be removed.”
They tried that, it didnt make any difference.
As much as I dislike Mccarthy (hey lets line up with an empty backfield and 5 WR’s on 3rd and half a yard). I do respect the fact that this team is very clean under him. What i mean is they rarely make bone headed mistakes and we have to be one of the fewest penalized teams in the league. There is no doubt he runs a tight ship. I think as a game manager he gets out coached A LOT and his arrogance and rudeness towards the media and anyone who questions him is maddening.
Free at last, free at last; Thank God Almighty we are free at last.
Leave McCarthy, Monte? Wrong. You don’t take out only 2/3 of the cancer.
Yep! You take it ALL out!
Good point MMSUCK(S).
They will let / require the new GM to make and own the decision on whether McCarthy comes back. Pretty clear at this point that McCarthy made the Capers decision himself.
Thanks! Will be nice to come up with a “nicer” name ;)
I’s not to little but it may be to late. The moment TT got his extention I said here
that all including MM at the helm would stay the same. Before this season I mentioned
that even with all things new one could not expect succes right away cause everything has to be rebuild.
So we can only hope it’s just in time to give AR one more shot.
But I’m happy as hell to read all the news this morning.
Have sometings to look foreward now. Like a nice draft, change in defense and who knows
maybe even in offensive play.
Maybe we can look forward to some action in free agency as well. Draft and develop is nice and all but it’s been proven you need some vets around.
Like others have said, it seems like the new gm will be internal. Why else keep McCarthy? Someone outside will definitely want their own staff and if they go outside, wolf and the others would most definitely leave.
Anything new makes me happy, but will be interesting to see what route they take and what that means for McCarthy. He could be a lame duck but I doubt that happens if the gm is internal. Wouldn’t mind if he’s shown the door as well. Like someone else mentioned, why keep any of this staff?
Players like haha, clay, etc better wake up and realize their free ride is over. Time to clean up the coaching staff and he bad contracts and get things back on track. Might take longer than one offseason but at least the process has begun.
I feel like there is one possibility that isn’t being discussed and that is McCarthy went to Murphy at some point this season and wanted to have more power over personnel. Remember there have been reports of there being some friction between the two. Andy Reid essentially did the same thing in KC. We will find out regardless in the next couple weeks because McCarthy will get a contract extension if this is true, or if the new GM still thinks he is the guy. If he goes into the season without a new contract, I get the feeling they would have to win the super bowl to get an extension.
If he receives an extension before seeing any tangible results on the field to merit giving him said extension, then this team is royally fucked. That this administration could be so interlaced with McCarthy DNA would be a travesty. Giving him MORE control over personnel would not be a good thing. I don’t believe it was Thompson forcing McNugget to keep 8 WRs, 4 TEs or 2 FBs on the roster. The fact that he dug his heels in with Hundley ought to be proof enough he does not know what he is doing regarding personnel. Removing that stench will take a couple more years.
IF Wolf becomes the GM as many expect, a true test will come when having to put the highly successful NFL coach in his place. If McNugget keeps doubling down with the same rhetoric, you can pretty much rest assured Wolf isn’t his dad and is GM in name only. By the time the dust settles, Rodgers’ career will be over. The McCarthy tree needs to be ripped out of the ground by its roots and burned in its entirety. It is more like a crawling vine instead of a tree at this point anyway. Or better yet as others have stated, a recurring cancer that wasn’t completely removed the first time.
Oh I agree, it would be awful if McCarthy took on the GM role. To be fair, there is literally no one out there that would be good at that dual role except Bill Belichek.
Regarding MM and his decisions on players to keep on the roster, I am sure TT has a little input. Also, keep in mind that it is McCarthy’s job to keep the best 53 football players on the roster. The bottom of the roster is going to be comprised of mainly the best special teams players in training camp and the preseason. Regardless of position. Unfortunately Joe Kerrige and Jeff Janis and Trevor Davis were better than the other players.
Also, this is not an automatic fix for the packers like some you assume it will be. There is absolutely no guarantee that the next guy to make decisions will make this a super bowl team. Ted Thompson had his faults, but I don’t think he was the worst GM in the league by any stretch of the imagination. I can think of worse. Let’s be honest, John Schneider had like 3 good drafts in a row, then has been overall fairly poor since then. In fact I can’t think of a high impact guy they have drafted the past few years. Seattle has had a poor offensive line the past 3 years, and that Jimmy Graham trade hasn’t worked out the best for them.
This is accurate. No guarantees the next group does better, but it was pretty clear the current leadership was not getting it done. Regarding McCarthy, his initial fate will be the first decision of the new GM. That person will decide if he is still the coach for the 2018 season. And whether or not any extension will be offered before it starts. Several more shoes to drop in the next many days. Will also be interesting to see with all of the openings around the league for GMs, HCs and coordinators, who we end up with across the board.
Reading some of the threads after the season ended I think Big Mike knows his job is not safe this coming season. I expect to see a new head coach for 2018. His game planning is always to predictable game after game. Just my 4 cents worth .