Mike McCarthy - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy

October 7th, 2018 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers made a few comments during his postgame press conference last week that many interpreted as a dig at his team’s coaching staff and its offensive play-calling. And Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, even though Rodgers later went out of his way to clarify those comments, he remains frustrated with the state of Green Bay’s offense and is still upset about some of the changes made to the roster and coaching staff this offseason.

Of course, last week was not the first time that Rodgers has made comments indicating his displeasure with play-calling, and now that head coach Mike McCarthy has once again taken over play-calling duties, the relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers — which has already been a hot topic of conversation in recent years — is once again under the microscope.

Indeed, La Canfora says several sources who have “regular contact” with McCarthy and Rodgers wonder if the two will be working together in 2019. Obviously, the Packers are not going to part way with Rodgers, whom they just signed to the most lucrative contract in NFL history, but the team could certainly sever ties with McCarthy, whose contract runs through the 2019 season and whose job has not been entirely secure in the last several years anyway.

But Ian Rapoport of NFL.com paints a different picture. As indicated above, there has been tension between Green Bay’s head coach and its best player before, but the two men have always been able to resolve their issues in the past, and club CEO and president Mark Murphy expects more of the same this year.

Murphy did not deny that there was some strain in the McCarthy-Rodgers relationship at the moment, but he said it was a non-issue. Murphy is in regular contact with McCarthy and has spoken with Rodgers, and he said, “We’ve seen this before. I think they’ve had a great relationship. It’s just, two highly competitive people. The most important thing, they both want the same thing — they want us to win and obviously score as many points as possible. I think it’s a very stressful environment, too. Highly pressurized.”

Murphy added that Rodgers’ knee injury, which he sustained in Week 1, is rapidly improving, which will of course be a tremendous benefit to a team that is currently 19th in the league in scoring and 17th in total offense.

Brian Gutekunst On Aaron Rodgers, Deals, Front Office Setup

August 28th, 2018 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Brian Gutekunst prepares for his first season as Packers GM, he takes the reins of a team coming off its worst performance of the decade and one that is mired in contract negotiations with its cornerstone player.

The Aaron Rodgers extension buzz has picked up, but it’s not certain the Packers will have this deal done by the regular season. And Gutekunst doesn’t seem to believe that’s been a key deadline for a player with two years remaining on his contract.

“I don’t think there’s any timetable on it. it’s just a matter of getting to the point that both sides think it’s the best thing moving forward,” Gutekunst said in an interview with PackersNews.com’s Pete Dougherty. “The perception of when the deal was getting done is probably why people are anxious outside of this building. Inside the building it’s always one of those things that’s taken its normal course. From my perception it’s not something that’s dragged on longer than I thought it would.”

As for if the Packers — who may prefer a longer-term pact than Rodgers does — would push this well beyond this season and into a 2020 franchise tag, Gutekunst doesn’t envision it. The Packers’ party line throughout the offseason is the expectation Rodgers’ deal is finalized this year, and Gutekunst believes his quarterback is deserving of a contract that makes him the highest-paid NFL player in history.

That would mean anything north of $30MM per year.

“I think Aaron is one of the more unique players that I’ve ever been around or seen. It’s a tough question, but I think he’s as deserving as anybody,” Gutekunst said of Rodgers’ potential place atop the NFL salary spectrum, as he was when he signed his current five-year, $110MM deal in 2013. “I don’t think it will ever come to (a tag situation). I think this is something that’s moving along at the right pace and should come to a conclusion at some point. I don’t think we’re looking at those things right now.”

Despite the Raiders currently employing Khalil Mack, the Packers are oddly the Las Vegas frontrunners to be the team signing his checks by season’s end. The Packers were notoriously stingy in pursuits of players outside the organization under Ted Thompson, but Gutekunst will be in the market for top-level talent in trades or free agency.

However, the Packers — factoring in an imminent Rodgers re-up — would be in a historic place in the event of a Mack trade. One team has never employed two $20MM-per-year players, and any team trading for Mack would almost certainly have to a $20MM-AAV-plus extension upon doing so.

“When you’re talking about unique players, there’s only so many of them out there,” Gutekunst said. “At the same time, the financial challenges may be difficult, but without players you can’t win. It’s like any significant player, they’re not inexpensive, but you have to have them to win.”

However, the first-year GM doesn’t have as much power as his predecessor. Gutekunst, Mike McCarthy and executive VP Russ Ball all report to Packers president Mark Murphy. Gutekunst, who maintained Thompson will still be in the picture from time to time, assessed this setup and the potential hurdles that will come with roster-building as a result.

“If we have differences (McCarthy) explains to me what he’s thinking. I explain to him what I’m thinking, and we usually kind of get to a common ground,” Gutekunst said. “But again, this is my first go-through with this, the 53, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ve had a relationship with Mike since he’s been here, even before that. I don’t anticipate any issues where it’s going to come to that.

“… I have no regrets about taking the job at all. It was clearly spelled out to me from the beginning by Mark. Again, it wasn’t something I’d worked under before. Mark has been very up front, if there’s any player I want to sign, I have all roster decisions that way. That’s never come up. I’ve never been prevented from signing a player if that’s what I wanted to do.”

Mark Murphy Explains Decision To Restructure Packers’ Front Office

February 3rd, 2018 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Ted Thompson oversaw one of the NFL’s most stable organizations for over a decade, the Packers will have one of the more unique front office setups going forward.

Thompson moving into a different role with the franchise prompted Packers president Mark Murphy to subsequently divvy up the former GM’s responsibilities between successor Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball, who was once considered the favorite for the GM post.

Neither will have the power to hire or fire Mike McCarthy, with Murphy being in line to do that if the time comes, and McCarthy will report to Murphy as well. Gutekunst and Ball will report to Murphy, with the former being in charge of the Packers’ offseason and regular-season rosters, along with the draft, with the latter running the salary cap and negotiating deals.

Murphy explained his decision to revamp the front office in an answer to a Packers fan on the team’s website.

“A key factor in my thought process was to improve communication within football. I felt that, over time, silos had developed within football operations and communication had suffered,” Murphy said. “Also, I wanted to create a structure that gave Brian the best chance to succeed.

“By narrowing his responsibilities, it allows him to focus on the most important aspects of his job, the draft and determining the 90- and 53-man rosters. As I came to the end of the search process, I realized how important it was to keep both Brian and Russ with us. I determined that having both of them (as well as Mike) report to me would help us achieve this objective. Finally, all organizations evolve over time and I believe this change will help us improve as we move forward.”

This adjustment may have come as a way to appease McCarthy, who hasn’t made it too much of a secret he wants the team to be more open to free agency as a method of roster augmentation. A Thompson protege, Ball was not expected to deviate much from Thompson’s old-fashioned approach to team-building. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes McCarthy may have wanted out if Ball was given the job.

But the Packers attempted to keep everyone happy by opting for this arrangement, and their best-of-both-worlds attempt will be interesting to observe this offseason.

Packers Release Safeties Coach Darren Perry

January 29th, 2018 at 6:19pm CST by Micah Powell

Packers safeties coach Darren Perry has been released to pursue other opportunities, the team reported on Monday. Perry asked for his release and it was granted by head coach Mike McCarthy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein hears (Twitter link).

Silverstein also notes (Twitter link) that McCarthy wanted Perry to return, but named Jason Simmons secondary coach, who would be over both cornerbacks and safeties.

Perry had served as safeties coach with the Packers since 2009 and coached in the secondary for the Bengals, Steelers and Raiders before moving to Green Bay. Earlier this month, Perry received interest from the Titans, possibly for their defensive coordinator role under new head coach Mike Vrabel, Paul Kuharsky reported (Twitter link).

It is just the latest bit of reshuffling in Green Bay’s busy offseason. After the end of the regular season, longtime general manager Ted Thompson was reassigned. He was replaced by the team’s director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst. The team also added new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Cards, Packers, 49ers

January 13th, 2018 at 9:34pm CST by Micah Powell

For the first time all season, the Vikings will have all three of their quarterbacks healthy when they host New Orleans on Sunday. Even with the return of Sam Bradford and the health of Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum “is the guy” reports Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

This should come as no surprise, as Keenum has been among the league’s top signal-callers since taking over for Bradford early in the season. The question, however, will be if the team wants to have all three suit up on Sunday. Florio’s sources say that won’t be determined until right before kickoff. Florio thinks untimely concussion evaluations could play into the decision.

Regardless of the decision, Keenum will have as long a leash as possible as the starter. The sixth-year quarterback enjoyed a breakout campaign, throwing for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns while posting a stellar 98.3 passer rating. It is unknown at this time if Bradford will leapfrog Bridgewater for the backup role.

Here is more from around the NFC:

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is the perfect candidate for the Cardinals head-coaching vacancy, AZ Central’s Dan Bickley writes. Bickley notes Shurmur’s ability to get the most out of his quarterback as the underlying factor. He also thinks the hiring of Shurmur would ensure the return of Larry Fitzgerald. The hiring, however, would go in opposition to former head coach Bruce Arians’ wishes that defensive coordinator James Bettcher get the job.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy reportedly met with team president and CEO Mark Murphy and expressed concerns Russ Ball wouldn’t be aggressive in free agency, USA Today’s Pete Dougherty reports. The meeting in theory caused Murphy to not promote Ball to general manager after Ted Thompson left the spot. Dougherty has doubts that the meeting had any impact on the situation. He also laid out another theory that Murphy preferred Brian Gutekunst all along for the job.
There is confidence on both sides that the 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo will strike a deal, NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco writes. If the sides don’t reach an agreement, it’s almost a guarantee that the quarterback will be franchised. After leading the Niners to wins in each of his first five starts, Jimmy G is a safe bet to be the QB in San Francisco for a long time.

Packers Rumors: Wolf, Gutekunst, FA

January 8th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

An offer for a prominent Packers job is on the table for Eliot Wolf, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (on Twitter), but it’s uncertain he accepts it at this point. Before the sides can progress on a deal, the 35-year-old exec must determine if he wants to stay in Green Bay. Wolf was bypassed for this job after withdrawing his name from consideration for the 49ers’ GM position last year, and the Browns are expected to pursue him. Wolf worked with John Dorsey for several years before Dorsey became the Chiefs’ GM in 2013. New Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst said Monday (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com) he wants Wolf to remain on staff but acknowledged executive has other opportunities.

Here’s more from Green Bay and the latest from the North divisions.

What could change for the Packers is their offseason approach. The Ted Thompson years involved scant free agency participation, but Gutekunst looks to have a more modern approach to player procurement. Gutekunst said the Packers will be active in free agency, at least participating in bidding for players they covet, and (via Silverstein, on Twitter) the new GM said this announcement excited the Packers’ staff. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned in every avenue of player acquisition,” Gutekunst said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com (Twitter link). “… Our foundation is going to be the draft, but [free agency] is an absolute must as an accessory piece. We’re not going to be able to sign every player, [but] we want to be in the know of everything that’s going on. We have to be prepared to pull the trigger.”
Gutekunst may not be making a change at head coach anytime soon. Signed last week to an extension that runs through 2019, Mike McCarthy doesn’t look to have lost any support as a result of this front office change. “We have a great relationship,” Gutekunst said today. “I have a ton of respect for him as a football coach and as a man.”
Team president Mark Murphy said (via Demovsky), however, if a decision is made to ultimately fire McCarthy, he will make it and be responsible for hiring his successor. Other than that, Murphy said he will not meddle in football decisions. Silverstein notes (via Twitter) the previous arrangement involved all football parties answering to Thompson whereas this one could leave some uncertainty with Gutekunst, McCarthy and Russ Ball each reporting to Murphy. Ball has been given a title bump and now has a more direct line to Murphy.
McCarthy’s comments last week about the next GM being a “good fit” may have been a shot at Thompson’s free agency-phobic tendencies, Silverstein writes, adding they also may have induced the Packers to contact the Seahawks about a John Schneider interview. While Seattle blocked that move, Silverstein notes McCarthy’s comments may have prompted Murphy to hire Gutekunst in order to see the team take a more proactive approach to stocking the roster in free agency. Silverstein writes Ball was expected to approach free agency like Thompson, his mentor, so this decision could be interpreted as McCarthy getting his way. While Gutekunst worked under Thompson throughout the latter’s tenure, Silverstein writes that other execs who received opportunities elsewhere — Schneider, Dorsey and Reggie McKenzie — were not shy about signing free agents.

Russ Ball To Remain With Packers

January 8th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers promoted Brian Gutekunst to GM and continued their in-house approach to football operations, but this will result in a change in how their front office is structured.

Without Ted Thompson in the fold, Gutekunst won’t be the only person reporting directly to team president Mark Murphy. Fellow GM candidate Russ Ball will be staying with the Packers and will now join Gutekunst and Mike McCarthy in reporting directly to Murphy, Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report reports (on Twitter).

Ball will also receive a new title and a raise, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. The 10-year Packers exec is now the franchise’s executive vice president/director of football operations, although Demovsky adds the cap guru’s duties will remain largely the same — negotiating contracts, being in charge of the cap and overseeing other departments.

Fellow GM candidate Eliot Wolf not being mentioned in this troika that now reports to Murphy could signal his imminent exit from Green Bay. The sought-after GM interviewee figures to have opportunities elsewhere, with reported interest coming from the John Dorsey-led Browns, if he so chooses.

Packers To Hire Brian Gutekunst As GM

January 7th, 2018 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Parks

The Packers are promoting their director of player personnel, Brian Gutekunst, to general manager, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that it will be a five-year deal for Gutekunst.

Gutekunst is highly respected in scouting circles, and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes that Gutekunst is the most well-rounded scout in Green Bay’s personnel department. Demovsky adds that Gutekunst dazzled Packers’ brass in his recent interview with the club.

Green Bay elected to hire Gutekunst, who has a strong personnel background, as opposed to fellow internal candidate Russ Ball, who is more of a salary cap guru (despite the fact that Ball was seen as the frontrunner throughout much of this process). In addition to Ball, the team also interviewed director of football operations Eliot Wolf, who for years was seen as the heir apparent to longtime GM Ted Thompson. Thompson, of course, stepped down to a different role within the organization at the beginning of the month, thereby triggering the team’s search for a replacement. It will be interesting to see what will become of Wolf and Ball now.

The Packers also expressed interest in Vikings assistant GM George Paton — though Minnesota denied Green Bay’s request to interview Paton — Seahawks GM John Schneider, and Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta. But in Gutekunst, they get an executive who was been with the club for 19 years — he started his Packers tenure as a collegiate scout — and who appears ready for his chance to run a franchise. Indeed, he had an excellent interview with the 49ers last offseason and nearly became San Francisco’s GM.

As Ed Werder tweets, an internal hiring like this one may be good news for Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, whose long-term future with the team could be bolstered with Gutekunst’s promotion.

Gutekunst was scheduled to interview with the Texans for Houston’s GM job today. Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), Gutekunst did travel to Houston yesterday and had dinner with Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, but Green Bay never gave him the chance to interview with with the Texans.

The Texans, meanwhile, are likely to hire Bills VP of player personnel Brian Gaine as their next GM, according to multiple sources.

Packers Expected To Bring Back Joe Philbin

January 6th, 2018 at 1:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to what amounted to a failed stint coaching the Dolphins, Joe Philbin operated as the Packers’ offensive coordinator. It looks like he will be headed back to Green Bay for a similar role.

The Packers are expected to rehire Philbin as a key member of their offensive staff, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. While Philbin might not be given the title of offensive coordinator, Demovsky notes the former Green Bay assistant would assume many of the duties commonly associated with that title. Mike McCarthy will keep play-calling responsibilities, Demovsky reports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Philbin will be interviewed by his former organization soon, so signs are pointing toward a reunion between the 56-year-old coach and his longest-tenured NFL employer. Philbin coached with the Packers from 2003-11, comprising part of Mike Sherman and McCarthy’s staffs during that span. He was the Green Bay OC from 2007-11. Philbin spent the past two seasons working as the Colts’ offensive line coach.

The Packers are currently filling out their offensive and defensive staffs amid a substantial overhaul. Offensively, the team dismissed OC Edgar Bennett, and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt let his contract expire to pursue other possible opportunities, Demovsky notes. Wideouts coach Luke Getsy took a job at Mississippi State.

Packers Sign Mike McCarthy To Extension

January 2nd, 2018 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike McCarthy is not a lame duck in Green Bay. The Packers have given the head coach a one-year extension to take him through the 2019 season, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Demovsky hears that the extension was actually signed during the season, but word of the deal did not leak out until today.

The Packers are making some major changes this season as Ted Thompson moves from GM to a different role, but McCarthy has been given some additional security. This year, the Packers missed the playoffs for just the third time since 2006, so the team is not automatically hitting the panic button.

McCarthy owns a 121-70-1 record in his 12-year run as head coach, including a Super Bowl victory in the 2010 season. He’ll look to get the Packers back on track in 2018, though he’ll be doing it with a new defensive staff after the firing of coordinator Dom Capers and other assistants. On the other side of the ball, the Packers are expecting to have a healthy Aaron Rodgers under center and that should help more than anything.