The Green Bay Packers have made the postseason in back-to-back seasons and five of the last six, so it won’t be surprising if executives under general manager Brian Gutekunst — who has completely rebuilt the roster in the post-Aaron Rodgers era — start drawing the attention of NFL teams in need of new decision-makers at the personnel level.
In fact, it might happen soon.
In Albert Breer’s annual “Future NFL GMs” list, three Packers executives on Gutekunst’s staff were highlighted: Director of football operations Milt Hendrickson, VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and director of pro personnel Richmond Williams.
Hendrickson joined Gutekunst and the Packers in 2019 after 14 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, giving him high-level experience at two of the NFL’s best organizations. He is a Wisconsin native with a vast background in playing, coaching and scouting, both on the college and professional side.
Sullivan has been in Green Bay since 2004. He spent eight years as a college area scout, two years as the college scouting director and now seven years as a top executive in player personnel. Breer mentions Sullivan as the first scout who introduced Gutekunst to Jordan Love.
Williams first arrived in Green Bay in 2007. He has experience as both a college and pro scout and is now in his sixth season as the director of pro personnel. His work on the pro side has led the Packers to several big veteran acquisitions under Gutekunst, both in free agency and in-season.
Several teams either have or are expected to have openings at general manager this offseason. The Packers have done a terrific job of fixing salary cap issues — caused mostly by COVID-19 and the desire to keep a veteran team around Rodgers and transitioning to a young, cheap and talented roster to start Jordan Love era.
Will teams want to tap into the Packers’ success under Gutekunst? Don’t be surprised if the names mentioned by Breer receive interest or take interviews for general manager jobs during this hiring cycle or in near-future hiring cycles.