OPINION: Thompson’s Foresight Kept Packers Competitive

The very first draft pick of Ted Thompson’s career as general manager in Green Bay was Aaron Rodgers.

He had risen to the job of GM after starting as a scout with the Packers back in 1992 and being recruited to join the Seahawks by Mike Holmgren from 1999 to 2005. That first pick of his tenure was emblematic of what would be a franchise-altering player acquisition strategy over the next 13 years. Thompson’s at times ruthless lack of regard for retaining expensive veteran players while opting instead for infusing his roster with young talent in the draft took tremendous faith in the team’s player evaluation and development ability.

Most notably, Thompson guided the organization through one of the most difficult transitions in sports history as the Packers moved on from beloved Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Had that transition floundered, Thompson would have been a pariah. Instead, three years later he was hoisting a Lombardi trophy. Leading up to the 2010 season, Thompson laid the groundwork for success with draft picks including Jordy Nelson, B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, James Jones, Mason Crosby.

What often gets forgotten about the 2010 season was the multitude of potential contributors who ended up on injured reserve. First round selection Justin Harrell from 2007 tore his ACL in week one, and starting running back Ryan Grant injured his ankle. Starting tight end Jermichael Finley missed the playoff run with a season-ending knee injury, and others including Morgan Burnett, Brandon Chillar, Mark Tauscher, Spencer Havner, Brad Jones, Brady Poppinga, Derrick Martin, Josh Bell, Anthony Smith, Mike Neal and Marshall Newhouse were all unavailable by the time Super Bowl XLV kicked off. Depth was tested even further by halftime, as both veteran receiver Donald Driver and star corner Charles Woodson had left the game with injuries.

What kept that team afloat, and even competitive in the Super Bowl, were the acquisitions of Thompson. Sixth-round rookie running back James Starks starred in the playoffs. Tramon Williams, a 2006 street free agent, pick-sixed Matt Ryan to seal the divisional round game early in the second half. Sam Shields, an undrafted rookie signing, intercepted two passes to seal a one-score win in the NFC Championship over the Chicago Bears. Nose tackle Howard Green, picked up off waivers that season, affected the flight of an early Ben Roethlisberger pass that led to a Nick Collins pick-six. Jarrett Bush, a 2006 waiver signing by Thompson, picked off another Roethlisberger pass. Matthews diagnosed a run to his side and forced a fumble that 2007 sixth-rounder Desmond Bishop recovered late in the game to turn the tide back to Green Bay.

Similarly, Thompson’s fingerprints are all over a roster that has now made consecutive NFC Championship appearances in the first year of a new head coach. While successor Brian Gutekunst deserves a share of the credit for his free agent and draft acquisitions, it is hard to see this team making it this far without Thompson picks including: Davante Adams (2014, second round), Aaron Jones (2017, fifth round), Kenny Clark (2016, first round), David Bakhtiari (2013, fourth round), Corey Linsley (2014, fifth round). Green Bay also has Thompson to thank for a street free agent signed in 2017 by the name of Robert Tonyan, who burst onto the scene in 2020-2021.

While history, and even modern analysis, may critically judge the latter years of the Favre and Rodgers’ eras for their shortcomings, the reality is the Packers fielded a competitive team for most of Thompson’s tenure. A 126-82-1 regular season record, nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win in 13 seasons are evidence of that.

Jason Wilde, on Thursday’s edition of his radio show Wilde & Tausch, put it best when recounting conversations with Thompson from 2007.

“He never got married, he never had kids,” Wilde said. “He truly viewed the Packers as his family, and his life’s work. It was all he had. He cared so deeply about this team, and about giving Packers fans what they wanted, which was a winner.”