For Packers GM Ted Thompson, signing an extension was a no-brainer, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “The more you think about it, the more you think how nuts are you that you’d walk away from something like this,” Thompson said. “It’s important to me. It’s not my family, but I’ve got a lot of really good friends here and co-workers that I enjoy coming to work with every day.” The 61-year-old is the seventh-longest-tenured GM in the NFL and there was some speculation that he would consider retirement.
- Next on the Packers‘ agenda, Demovsky writes, should be hammering out an extension for head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy, whose current contract runs through the 2015 season, has been getting along rather well with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers lately and is on the same page with Thompson, which was not the case with his predecessor Mike Sherman. Together, McCarthy and Thompson have an 88-50-1 overall record, including playoffs.
- Cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris has been suspended two games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Lewis-Harris has played a little for the Bengals in the last two seasons, shuttling back and forth from the practice squad, but there’s no guarantee he’ll earn a roster spot now that he’s facing a suspension.
- The Browns will be Johnny Manziel‘s team at some point, maybe even soon, but it’s clear it’s Brian Hoyer‘s team for now, writes Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. Hoyer, 28, is not deluding himself when it comes to the realities of his situation in Cleveland, but for now, the blinders are on and he’s determined to remain the starter.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.