Packers GM Ted Thompson Transitioning To Senior Advisor To Football Operations

Update:

The Green Bay Packers announced Tuesday that GM Ted Thompson will transition to senior advisor to football operations.

“I want to thank Ted for his tireless efforts as the general manager of the Green Bay Packers for these past 13 seasons. Under his guidance, the Packers enjoyed a remarkable run of success, one that included our 13th world championship, four NFC Championship appearances and eight consecutive postseason berths,” said Mark Murphy. “The organization, our fans and our community were fortunate to have had one of the NFL’s all-time great general managers leading our football operations. On a personal note, Ted’s work ethic, humility and loyalty are nearly unparalleled, and it has been one of the great honors of my life to work beside him. Fortunately, Ted will remain involved in our personnel department as we work to win another championship. We will begin an immediate search for the next general manager of the Green Bay Packers.”

“It’s been a great honor to serve as the Green Bay Packers’ general manager for the past 13 years. This is a special place and we’ve had some success along the way, but it’s the relationships that I value most. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many dedicated people throughout the organization and I can’t thank Mark Murphy, Mike McCarthy, the football-operations staff and our scouts enough for their friendship and support,” said Thompson. “Additionally, I want to thank every player that has stepped on the field for us. This is the players’ game and I appreciate all the sacrifices they have made for the Packers. I look forward to supporting this team in my new role as we strive to win another championship.”

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Ian Rapoport of NFL Media is reporting that Packers GM Ted Thompson is expected to transition into a new role within the organization. According to Rapoport, the Packers will now begin a search for a new general manager.

• Chris Mortensen confirms the news and adds that Packers president Mark Murphy will lead the reorganization and define new roles for their current front office executives.
• Jason La Canfora reports that some within the Packers believe Brian Gutekunst will emerge as top in-house GM candidate.
• Mike Florio mentions that while Eliot Wolf will likely emerge as a candidate for the Packers’ GM job, there has been a sense lately that he may end up moving on before he gets an opportunity with Green Bay.
• Florio adds that former Packers executives John Schneider (Seahawks GM) and Reggie McKenzie (Raiders GM) as speculative options worth at least keeping an eye, depending on how things play out in the coming weeks.

Green Bay has had a number of GM candidates in their front office interview for jobs, so it would come as a surprise if they went outside of the organization for Thompson’s replacement.

A few names to watch for the Packers include Eliot Wolf, Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball.

Thompson, 64, began working as an assistant director or pro personnel back in 1992 for the Packers. He worked his way up to director of players personnel before departing for a job with the Seahawks.

Thompson returned to Green Bay in 2005 to take over as the team’s GM.

During his 13 years as the Packers’ GM, Thompson has led the team to a record of 125-82-1 (60.3 percent), which includes nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title in 2010.