The Packers are going to keep at least one of their top personnel lieutenants, but the future of their General Manager job could be decided from outside the organization.
With Eliot Wolf pulling out of the derby to become the 49ers General Manager and Brian Gutekunst reportedly the favorite for the job, one of the potential heirs to Packers G.M. Ted Thompson’s job will remain.
But according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the “best bet” for Thompson’s replacement could be Chiefs G.M. John Dorsey.
There are a number of factors at play here. Thompson’s contract runs through the 2018 NFL draft, though there has been some speculation he could walk away if the Packers win the Super Bowl.
Dorsey, who came up through the ranks with the Packers, also has a contract through the 2018 draft. And the work he’s done with the Chiefs has certainly been good enough to merit an extension, if he wanted it. But if Thompson were to leave after this season, the Chiefs could prevent Dorsey from returning to Green Bay, where he played five seasons and worked in personnel from 1991 to 2012, with one year in Seattle stuck in between.
But the Packers have a deep bench in the personnel department, which makes the future there so intriguing.
The 34-year-old Wolf has been considered a possible if not eventual replacement for Thompson, and he got a raise and is expected to get a new title this offseason. That’ll be three promotions in five years for the son of Hall of Fame G.M. Ron Wolf, seemingly putting him on the fast track.
But if team president Mark Murphy wants someone with more experience, the 56-year-old Dorsey could be more appealing to them.
There are a lot of plates spinning here, but it’s clear that Dorsey’s ties to Green Bay are still deep. And like his dad, who went from the Raiders to the Buccaneers before getting the Packers job, Eliot Wolf may one day have to leave home to have a chance to run a team. They blocked him from interviewing with the division-rival Lions last year, but their willingness to let him talk to the 49ers could also be a sign of their future intentions.