7 years agoThe Green Bay Packers have selected Brian Gutekunst to replace Ted Thompson as the general manager of the Packers. Gutekunst was hired as a scout by Green Bay in 1998 and had been promoted several times. Most recently he was Green Bay’s director of player personnel, a position he has held since 2016. Gutekunst beat out fellow in-house candidates Russ Ball, a salary cap expert, as well as director of football operations Eliot Wolf, son of Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf. Although not as senior a member of the front office staff as Ball or Wolf, Gutekunst was regarded throughout the league as the best general manager prospect. He had received several interviews for general manager roles, including one from Houston this year. It is unclear what type of team-building philosophy Gutekunst subscribes to, although it would benefit him to move away from Thompson’s very conservative style. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers' career starting to wind down, the championship window is closing, so it would seem reasonable to be more aggressive in free agency to reshape and reinvigorate Green Bay’s offense.--Tyger McGuiggan
Source: Rob Demovsky