GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Former Packers general manager Ted Thompson – who cast Aaron Rodgers, replaced Brett Favre and built the team that won the Super Bowl XLV – died, according to coach Matt LaFleur. He was 68 years old.
Thompson, who played 10 seasons in the NFL with Houston Oilers (1975-84), served as general manager of Packers from 2005 to 2017. Packers switched him to a consultant role in the 2018 season partly because of his poor health .
In May 2019, after being introduced to the Packers Hall of Fame, Thompson announced that he was suffering from an autonomic disorder, a condition that causes weakness and cognitive problems. Packers President Mark Murphy did not cite Thompson’s health as a reason for the decision to remove him from the position of general manager immediately after the 2017 season.
Thompson said at the time of his announcement that his doctors did not believe his condition “fit the profile of someone suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy”.
“Our condolences go out to your family,” said LaFleur on Thursday. “He is certainly a guy who has the highest regard in this building and I think only around the league. He had a tremendous impact, not just on the people in this building and obviously in Gutey [current Packers GM Brian Gutekunst] and a lot of our people, but also people from other departments. Its impact is still felt today when you look at our list, but I think it has had a tremendous impact among many people across the league when you look at the other GMs who have learned from it.
“So we are certainly sitting here with a heavy heart today. I have only had a few opportunities to meet him in the past few years, but I just know how important he was to many people in this building.”
Thompson’s first choice as Packers general manager was Rodgers, who fell to Green Bay in 24th overall.
Prior to the 2020 draft, Gutekunst, who served as Thompson’s scout, considered this a courageous decision, as the Packers still had Favre playing at a high level.
“Having the courage to do that at that time, and what that decision did for the organization for how many years later, that stayed with me,” said Gutekunst. “It could have been very easy to do something different. He thought it was the right thing to do, and he did it. It always stayed with me.”
Weeks later, Gutekunst would select quarterback Jordan Love in the first round.
Thompson oversaw the transition from Rodgers to Favre, swapping Favre for the New York Jets in August 2008. Although Thompson attracted the ire of some fans for a draft and development plan – largely ignoring the big free agents – he and the coach Mike McCarthy, who Thompson hired in 2006, put together a team that achieved four games for the NFC title (2007, 2010, 2014, 2016) and made eight consecutive appearances in the playoffs (2009-16).
One of Thompson’s first assignments as a Packers scout in 1992 was to watch a film about Favre and make an assessment for the then GM Ron Wolf, who was considering switching to the quarterback.
“[Wolf] left me in a dark room, and I watched a little bit, and he came back and said, ‘Well, what do you think?’ “Thompson told ESPN in 2016.” And I said, “What do you think?” And he said, ‘I like him. I think I’m going to trade a No. 1 for him.’ I said, ‘I think you should do this’.
“He didn’t need any help, but I already said that: Brett, that limited time he had to play in Atlanta was not at all beautiful. But it was beautiful when he arrived at the Green Bay Packers.”
Thompson worked for the Packers as a scout until 1999, when he joined Mike Holmgren with the Seattle Seahawks. In 2005, then Packers president Bob Harlan lured him back to Green Bay making him the general manager for the first time.
“I saw him come in and join us when he was very green, working for Ron Wolf, who is a demanding boss, and he was so good that Ron promoted him twice,” said Harlan in Thompson’s introduction to the hall of fame Packers. “The first man Mike Holmgren wanted to take to Seattle with him was Ted Thompson. Ted went to Seattle, built a Super Bowl team and I thought that when it was time to find someone, he would be the one I wanted.”
Thompson, soft-spoken, used to dodge the spotlight, but at times he let on his ironic sense of humor. He was self-deprecating about his playing career, which consisted mainly of special teams and was widely respected by his players.
“He is not a man of many words, but he always has a positive attitude,” former Packers guard TJ Lang told ESPN in 2017. “He always has a smile on his face. You can tell that anytime. that the guy at the top, the leader of your team, feels that way about your team, it definitely affects the guys. “
Among Thompson’s choices still in the squad are Rodgers, kicker Mason Crosby, offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, center pivot Corey Linsley, wide receiver Davante Adams, running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.