Tag: Mark Murphy

Commanders president Jason Wright was a finalist to be Packers CEO and team president

The Packers were reportedly interested in Jason Wright.

Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright almost landed a new job. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Wright was a finalist for the Green Bay Packers president and CEO position.

The move would’ve represented a step up for Wright as the Packers are the NFL’s only publicly-owned, nonprofit organization, meaning he would’ve essentially operated as owner.

The Packers hired Ed Policy, who had been with the organization since 2012. Policy first served as Green Bay’s vice president and general counsel before he was promoted to COO in 2018.

Wright, 41, joined Washington in 2020, becoming the NFL’s first Black team president. His time in Washington has been full of ups and downs. Wright led Washington’s rebranding to the Commanders in 2022, which didn’t go well with a large portion of the fan base.

There have been other mishaps, such as the Sean Taylor Memorial. However, Wright entered an impossible situation working directly under former owner Dan Snyder. When Snyder sold the team to Josh Harris last summer, Harris retained Wright.

Mark Murphy, who played eight seasons for the Redskins from 1977-84, is retiring in 2025 as Green Bay’s president and CEO.

Ed Policy elected successor to Mark Murphy as Packers president and CEO

Ed Policy will take over as Packers president and CEO when Mark Murphy retires in July of 2025.

The Green Bay Packers board of directors elected Ed Policy as the successor to Mark Murphy as president and CEO, the team announced Monday.

Policy, 53, will take over for Murphy when he retires in July of 2025.

Policy was recommended by the team’s search committee and was elected by a unanimous vote from the board. He will become the franchise’s 11th CEO.

From Murphy: “Ed has been a tremendous asset to the organization during his 12 years here and has been greatly instrumental in our success. His work on Titletown has been particularly impactful. He is highly respected – both in the building and within the NFL. I’ve enjoyed working with him and am confident he will be an excellent steward for the organization.”

Policy has been with the Packers since the 2012 season. He is entering his 13th season as the Vice President and general counsel in 2024. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2018.

From Policy: “This is the absolute best job in sports. We are the stewards of the most iconic and unique organization in all of professional sports. I am excited to continue to work with so many talented teammates who have ensured the Packers’ consistent success on and off the field. We are the people’s team, and I love being a part of it.

“We will continue our relentless focus on building a winning culture that transcends the playing field. The Lombardi Trophy will always be our North Star and ensuring a positive impact on our community will continue to be paramount in our decision-making. We have the greatest fans in sports and will never take their commitment to the Packers for granted.”

Policy previously worked at the executive level in the Arena Football League and with the NFL before joining the Packers. He was a leader in the development of Titletown, the commercialized area around Lambeau Field.

Packers president Mark Murphy: 2023 season was a success

Simply getting to the playoffs isn’t typically celebrated in Titletown, but the 2023 season was different.

In a place nicknamed “Titletown,” advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs isn’t typically celebrated as a resounding success, but the 2023 Green Bay Packers — in the first year of the Jordan Love era — exceeded all reasonable expectations and potentially opened a new Super Bowl window starting in 2024.

Consider it success redefined in a year of transition in Green Bay.

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy labeled the season a “success” even though Green Bay gave up a late lead in San Francisco and lost to the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.

“As disappointing as the loss was, I still think the overall season was a success,” Murphy wrote in his monthly Q&A post at Packers.com. “We were a very young team (youngest in the league) and came into the season with a lot of question marks.”

The ascendance of Love at quarterback in his first season as the starter was a big reason for the “success” of the season overall. Now the Packers — who have enjoyed Hall of Fame quarterback play for three decades — have confidence in the standard remaining steady at the game’s most important position.

“The biggest question was how Jordan Love would perform in his first year as a starter,” Murphy wrote. “While Jordan (and the team) was inconsistent in the first half of the season, he finished the season playing at a very high level. We feel confident that Jordan is our quarterback of the future.”

The Packers are expecting to use this offseason to engage in long-term contract negotiations with Love, who produced 41 total touchdowns and almost 5,000 total yards of offense across 19 games in 2023.

Matt LaFleur guided a young team through tough times early and eventually had the Packers positioned as one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams in January.

While the Packers started 2-5, LaFleur’s team beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs in three straight games to revive the season and then clinched a playoff spot with wins over the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears in the final three games.

The biggest victory of the season? A 48-32 thrashing of the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in the wildcard round.

“We were the youngest team to win a playoff game since the NFL-AFL merger. It was exciting to see our team come together as the season progressed,” Murphy wrote. “It is a real tribute to our coaches and players that we were able to turn our season around. I think Matt LaFleur did his best job coaching this year. While nothing is guaranteed, I do think the team learned a lot from our playoff experience this year, and that the future is bright.”

The one-year hiatus from Super Bowl expectations ends in 2024. Everyone in Green Bay has acknowledged that development as a team into a real contender isn’t guaranteed, but a real chance — given Love’s first season and all the young talented assembled around him — to start a new Super Bowl window exists starting next season. The groundwork — built through tough decisions, young player acquisition and development during a rollercoaster season — was laid in 2023.

Mark Murphy: Wouldn’t be fair to judge Jordan Love amidst chaos on offense

The Packers president doesn’t think it would be fair to judge Jordan Love given all the chaos around him on offense through the first seven games.

Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy doesn’t believe it would be fair to judge quarterback Jordan Love amidst all the chaos around him on offense through the first seven games of the 2023 season.

In his monthly post at Packers.com, Murphy said Love’s play has “been up and down” and the evaluation of him as a quarterback is the “million-dollar question” for the franchise, but confidence isn’t wavering as Love’s first season as the starter unfolds.

“As a person, Jordan is everything you would want in a player – hard worker, smart, humble, a leader who is respected by his teammates. He is also willing to take the blame when things don’t go well,” Murphy wrote. “His play has been up and down, though. Young players often take time to find consistency, but we still very much believe in Jordan and are excited to see his continued development.”

Murphy admitted the start of the 2023 season has been “disappointing,” especially after a 38-20 win in Chicago in Week 1. The Packers are 2-5 and have lost four straight games. In terms of scoring, the Packers have put up 20 or fewer points in five straight games. And Love has thrown an interception in five straight games.

Losing David Bakhtiari after just one game, the youth at wide receiver and tight end and the failures of the run game have all contributed to the chaos around Love at the quarterback position.

Murphy compared the situation of Aaron Rodgers — who took over for Brett Favre as the starter in 2008 — to what Love is dealing with now.

“In 2008, after eight games we had seen enough of Aaron Rodgers to sign him to a contract extension. Aaron was in a much different situation, though, as we had good veteran receivers in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, a quality left tackle in Chad Clifton and a good running game with Ryan Grant,” Murphy wrote. “Jordan, meanwhile, is facing a much different situation with young receivers and tight ends, no David Bakhtiari and a struggling run game. It wouldn’t be fair to judge Jordan now since there are so many other factors that have contributed to the offense’s poor performance (e.g., dropped passes, penalties, mental errors).”

In 2008, Grant rushed for over 1,200 yards and Jennings and Driver both went over 1,000 receiving yards. In 2023, the Packers are averaging 3.8 yards per carry and every meaningful player at receiver or tight end is a first- or second-year player.

The struggles of the first seven games only amplify the importance of the final 10 games in 2023. The Packers need to smooth things out on offense so the team can get a better evaluation of Love as an individual player..

“We should have a much better sense regarding Jordan at the end of the season,” Murphy wrote. “In the NFL, quarterback is the most important position, but also the hardest position to play.”

Although the performance on offense hasn’t been good enough and the Packers haven’t won since Sept. 24, the team does have three one-score losses and three losses in which Green Bay led in the fourth quarter.

Murphy expressed confidence in LaFleur as a coach and the young talent of the team developing over the season’s final two months.

“It’s a long season and things can change quickly in the NFL,” Murphy wrote. “Over the next 10 games, the most important thing is to show improvement, gain confidence as a team, and learn how to win close games.”

Packers president Mark Murphy reveals Jets will be on ‘Hard Knocks’

Mark Murphy shared what many believed: The Jets are going to be on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer.

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While there has been no official announcement on this year’s team for “Hard Knocks,” Green Bay Packers team president and CEO Mark Murphy appears to have some inside information confirming what many already believe: It’s going to be the New York Jets.

From Murphy’s monthly Q&A post on Packers.com: “I’m anxious to see the Jets and the many ex-Packers on ‘Hard Knocks’ this summer – should be very entertaining.”

The Jets qualify for an appearance this year. New York doesn’t have a new head coach and hasn’t made the postseason in the past two years. The Packers, meanwhile, made the playoffs in 2021 and can’t be forced to do the show.

The Jets would certainly be entertaining, given the arrival of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers from the Packers. And Rodgers isn’t alone as a former Packer in New York, as Murphy notes. The quarterback is one of eight former Packers, and Nathaniel Hackett — a locker room favorite who was the offensive coordinator under Matt LaFleur for three years — is now a coach for the Jets.

Other former Packers nowin New York include safety Adrian Amos, receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and offensive tackle Billy Turner. Many were core players during the successful four-year run to begin the LaFleur era in Green Baty.

Having the Jets on “Hard Knocks” will provide even more opportunities for Rodgers and the ex-Packers to discuss their departure from Green Bay this offseason.

Keep in mind, the Packers would qualify for the show come 2024 if LaFleur’s team doesn’t make the postseason in 2023.

“‘Hard Knocks’ is a great show and gives fans an inside look at a team’s training camp. It also provides good publicity for the team,” Murphy wrote. “The downside is that it can be a distraction and teams are concerned that other teams can learn information from the show. The best thing to do if you don’t want to be on ‘Hard Knocks’ is to make the playoffs every year. The league (and HBO) can only require a team to appear on ‘Hard Knocks’ if they have failed to make the playoffs two years in a row.”

Mark Murphy on Jordan Love’s first season: Expect ups and downs, but it will be exciting

Mark Murphy on Jordan Love in 2023: “There will be ups and downs this year, but it will be exciting, and we’re confident in Jordan.”

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In his monthly Q&A post at the team’s website, Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said to expect ups and downs during Jordan Love’s first season as a starter but also expressed confidence in Love’s development as a quarterback and potential to be good right away given his experience behind Aaron Rodgers over the last three seasons.

Murphy’s full answer on expectations for Love in 2023:

With regard to Jordan, I would tell our fans to remember that this will be his first year as a starter, and that there will be a learning curve. That said, though, Jordan has benefited greatly by playing behind Aaron Rodgers for the last three years (much like Aaron learned from watching Brett Favre). Having watched him in practice the past three years, I have seen significant growth in Jordan (particularly in his confidence) and think he is ready to play. Also, he has benefited greatly by taking most of the snaps with the first team offense in the last two offseasons, as well as in preseason games the last two years. Although it was very limited, his play in the Eagles game last year was very encouraging. I’ve also been very impressed with how Jordan has handled himself over the past three years. He never complained and continued to work hard to improve his game. Most recently, I have seen Jordan step forward as a leader. There will be ups and downs this year, but it will be exciting, and we’re confident in Jordan.

Rodgers threw 59 passes during his first three seasons before taking over for Brett Favre as the starter in 2008. Love has thrown 83. He did start a game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 and was impressive in a backup performance against the NFC champion Eagles in 2022.

Rodgers went 6-10 in 2008 but proved to the Packers he was the right guy at quarterback moving forward. Love’s Packers have a wide range of potential outcomes in 2023, but outside a championship, the most important aspect of the season will be evaluating Love’s long-term outlook at the game’s most important position.

Murphy has it right: Expect inconsistency, but the Packers are confident Love is ready for this opportunity. New is exciting, and the new-look Packers are getting a fresh start at quarterback with a first-round pick who got three years of on-the-job training behind a future Hall of Famer.

Report: Aaron Rodgers’ agent asked Packers to fire Brian Gutekunst or trade him during 2021 offseason

Reporting from The Athletic says Aaron Rodgers’ agent asked the Packers to fire Brian Gutekunst or trade him back in 2021. Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy did not oblige.

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Aaron Rodgers opened up about his last few years with the Green Bay Packers during a recent conversation with Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Starting with the 2020 NFL fdaft and the selection of Jordan Love to the disappointment of the 2022 season, Rodgers left all but one big stone unturned.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the story stemmed from Rodgers’ summer of discontent in 2021. Apparently, when it was reported on draft day that he no longer wanted to return to Green Bay, Rodgers actually gave the team an ultimatum.

According to Schneidman, who spoke with a source close to the team who wished to remain anonymous, Rodgers’ agent David Dunn called Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy with a request if he wanted the reigning MVP quarterback back in Green Bay. The request was to fire general manager Brian Gutekunst or trade Rodgers.

When asked about the stipulation, Rodgers deferred to Dunn, who was not available for comment.

In this case, Rodgers’ and his agent’s silence is probably telling. He likely did want Gutekunst gone, but Murphy did not oblige.

Rodgers would eventually return to the team and air his grievances in what we now know was not an all-telling press conference. Still, he mentioned his lack of involvement in decisions that directly affected his job and the treatment of former players on their way out as the main reasons behind his disgruntlement. Both are areas that fall directly under the oversight of the GM.

To his credit, Gutekunst was able to meet Rodgers halfway. He started to communicate with his quarterback somewhat regularly while maintaining that the business side of things may require him to make some tough decisions.

When all communication ceased this offseason, Gutekunst made arguably the toughest decision in franchise history when he dealt Rodgers to the New York Jets. Since the trade, Rodgers said the communication with his new front office is far better than what he experienced in Green Bay, even during his final years.

“It still wasn’t anywhere near what I’ve already enjoyed here with the Jets in just a few short weeks,” he said.

Most importantly, both sides appear to be happier. Rodgers is enjoying his time in New York with a front office that will actively try to appease him. The Jets went out and signed a handful of Rodgers’ former teammates, including wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.

Meanwhile, it’s probably safe to say Gutekunst is happy to be back in control without worrying about the franchise QB coming for his job.

Packers CEO Mark Murphy discusses impact of hosting NFL draft in 2025

“We are so excited and honored to be able to host the draft in 2025,” Packers CEO Mark Murphy said.

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It’s official. The Green Bay Packers have announced they will host the 2025 NFL draft.

Many thought this day would never come. After all, the Packers are the NFL’s smallest market and people questioned whether they had the infrastructure to support such a major event. However, with two years to plan, the league is excited to have the draft featured in a new city.

“The draft has become a prominent offseason event hosted in different cities with spectacular locations across the country, and we are excited to work with the Packers and Discover Green Bay to bring the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay and iconic Lambeau field,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Perhaps no one is happier than Packers CEO Mark Murphy, who has been working to bring the draft to Green Bay since 2016.

“We are so excited and honored to be able to host the draft in 2025,” Murphy said in an interview with Larry McCarren of Packers.com.

“I’m just really happy, not only for the organization but for the whole community. Actually, the entire state is going to benefit from it. It’s a huge event and it grows every year. It’s going to be spectacular.”

According to Murphy, the economic impact of the draft will have a lasting effect statewide. When you factor in the number of people traveling to the area and watching on TV, he estimates the draft will generate around $94 million, or six times more than a typical Packers home game.

Of course, getting the draft to come to Green Bay wasn’t easy. It’s a rigorous process not far behind trying to host a Super Bowl — something the organization has also never done, though this may get their foot in the door.

To win over the league, the Packers naturally sold them on the idea of hosting the draft at one of the most iconic venues in the NFL in Lambeau Field. They also have another major attraction in Titletown, which only just opened in 2017 and has been a great source of revenue.

While hosting the draft is an exciting new development, the hard part has only just begun. The league and Green Bay now have to go through an intense planning process to make sure everything runs smoothly. In the meantime, the City of Green Bay will reap the benefits from the build-up over the next couple of years, says Murphy.

“This is basically a two-year commercial on all the benefits and all that Green Bay has to offer.”

Packers among teams to oppose Thursday night flex scheduling proposal

The Packers were one of eight teams to vote against the NFL’s new Thursday night flex scheduling proposal.

The Green Bay Packers were among the eight NFL teams to vote against Thursday night flex scheduling, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.

The NFL needed 24 votes to pass the change, which would make early slot Sunday games in Weeks 14-17 eligible to be moved to Thursday night – creating better matchups and likely increasing the value and attractiveness of the new Amazon television package. At the NFL Annual Meetings last month, only 22 teams voted affirmatively.

Team president and CEO Mark Murphy explained the team’s worries about the change in his monthly Q&A post at Packers.com. The big issue: Fans having to drastically change travel plans for flexed games.

“The league has allowed flexible scheduling for Sunday Night Football for many years now, but moving a game from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night is a lot different than moving a Sunday game up to Thursday for the reasons you note,” Murphy wrote. “Moreover, we will allow flexing for Monday night games this year for the first time, so we don’t know what issues may arise from this change. I believe that we do need to consider the fans in the stands, and how this would affect them – especially since so many of our fans travel a good distance to come to Lambeau Field and stay in hotels.”

Example: A fan of Team A makes long-distance travel arrangements months in advance of a game scheduled for the early Sunday timeslot. If the game was later moved to Thursday night, the fan would have to change flights, work schedules and hotels to accommodate the date and time change of the game, creating a difficult logistical challenge even if the flex is announced weeks before.

This example would be exacerbated for a team like the Packers, who have fans all over the country and often attract hordes of fans from opponents for every home game.

Is this change fair to money-paying fans? The Packers believe the answer is no.

However, King believes the NFL could still get the vote passed and in place by the league meetings next month.

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Packers president on QB Jordan Love: ‘We do think he’s ready’

Packers president Mark Murphy on Jordan Love: “We drafted him and developed him. A lot of credit goes to our coaches, and to Jordan. But we do think he’s ready.”

Why would the Green Bay Packers be ready to transition away from the Aaron Rodgers era at quarterback? A big piece of the puzzle: his heir apparent.

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy echoed Friday what the organization has been saying all offseason: The team is confident Love is ready to be the new starting quarterback in 2023.

“Yeah, we have a lot of confidence in him,” Murphy told Adriana Torres of WBAY in Green Bay. “We drafted him and developed him. A lot of credit goes to our coaches, and to Jordan. But we do think he’s ready.”

Murphy’s response fits perfectly with what coach Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst and other Packers teammates have said about Love to start this offseason.

The path for Love to start next season would be cleared if the Packers trade away Rodgers, a scenario – it would seem – is fully in the works based on Murphy’s comments from the WIAA girl’s state basketball tournament on Friday.

Murphy said the two sides are trying to find a “win-win” resolution, but the team’s preference is clearly a transition to Love.

The Packers shocked the NFL would by trading up to take Love in the first round of the 2020 draft. Rodgers responded with back-to-back MVP seasons, but an injury-riddled and disappointing 2022 season – combined with rapid development from Love in Year 3 – opened the door to a change at quarterback.

Love threw 83 passes (three touchdowns, three interceptions) over 10 regular season games (one start) during his first three seasons. For reference, Rodgers threw 59 passes (one touchdown, one interception) over seven games (zero starts) during his first seasons (2005-07).

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