Ted

Thompson

Thompson reportedly died Wednesday evening. Thompson joined the Packers’ front office in 1992 and was elevated to general manager in 2005 after a five-year sojourn in Seattle. His first draft pick was Aaron Rodgers. On the job until 2017, Thompson was famous — and only occasionally infamous — for his fanatical devotion to building through the draft. Free agent signings were a rare occurrence in Green Bay. Thompson’s squads were worthy of more than one Lombardi Trophy, but the one he did take home came in 2010. It’s a huge loss for the tight-knit Packers community. Thompson had just turned 68 last weekend.

Thompson has built one of the most consistent franchises in the league through the draft, but there are plenty of people both inside and outside the organization who would like to see him be more aggressive in free agency. In fact, dissatisfaction with Thompson’s approach led to rumors he would be replaced this offseason, although coach Mike McCarthy hinted that will not happen during his season-ending press conference this week. Thompson did sign Jared Cook in free agency last offseason, and it is possible he could make an even bigger splash this year. The Packers need a ton of help on defense, and a marquee signing at corner, inside linebacker, or edge rusher would certainly help.

“I think Ted’s been instrumental obviously in the run we’ve had,” Murphy said. “So that is a real priority.” Thompson is signed through 2016, but isn’t the sort of executive usually allowed to get near the end of a contract. Something will likely be worked out before Week 1.

Thompson, 61, took over as the Packers’ general manager in 2005 and has spent 18 years in the organization with a five-year stint in Seattle in between. Since taking over, the Packers have gone 86-57-1 and have won four NFC North titles and one Super Bowl. Thompson is one of the top decision-makers in the league.

Thompson has built an annual contender out of the draft, but his aversion to signing veterans drafted elsewhere borders on the pathological/neurotic. It’s rarely brought up as an issue since the Pack are always in the mix, but apparently it’s become a point of contention in-house. According to longtime Packers reporter Bob McGinn, Thompson functions mostly as a “glorified director of college scouting.” Thompson’s 2015 roster was his weakest in multiple seasons. Perhaps he’ll finally take a longer look at veteran free agents this year.

The writing has been on the wall for this potential move for a while now, and now that the Packers are coming off a disappointing season that sees them miss the playoffs, Green Bay will shake things up internally. Thompson has been the GM since 2005 when he made Aaron Rodgers his first pick as the head man. Overall, Thompson has drafted well, though he’s had his fair share of early whiffs from Justin Harrell to Datone Jones. Thompson has also been criticized a bit for not being aggressive in free agency whatsoever. Director of football operations Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst may be viewed as the favorites to earn a promotion to GM. Both have interviewed for several GM openings around the league in recent years.