We passed along a report last night that Packers coach Mike McCarthy was expected to sign a deal soon that keeps him with the team until 2015, the same year G.M. Ted Thompson’s new contract runs out.
McCarthy’s deal was a slam dunk. Thompson’s contract contained a little more anxiety initially from Green Bay’s side. According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, there was concern in Green Bay that Thompson would want to ride off in the sunset sooner than later.
Friends of Thompson previously told McGinn that Thompson expressed reservations of how long he could continue to work at his current pace. They thought he might want to take a job as a “lowly area scout” to ease into retirement.
Instead, Thompson committed to working for the next five years. The Packers were reportedly “overjoyed” with that development and agreed to pay him $2.5 million-per-season on average. (Only a 25% raise. Not crazy.) A lot can change in five years, but we’re pretty sure Thompson isn’t the type of guy to go through a “will he or won’t he?” retirement dance every offseason.
Thompson knows Green Bay has gone through that enough for one lifetime.