Meeting with the media after this morning’s annual shareholders meeting, Mark Murphy would neither confirm nor deny if any of his top football lieutenants had been given contract extensions over the offseason.
According to Rob Demovsky, Brian Gutekunst, Matt LaFleur and Russ Ball each had contract extensions finalized earlier this offseason.
From Rob:
The Green Bay Packers quietly reached contract extensions with general manager Brian Gutekunst, coach Matt LaFleur and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball this offseason, a league source told ESPN on Monday. Packers president Mark Murphy would not confirm the extensions earlier on Monday but said: “I’ll just say I’m confident not only Matt and Brian but Russ Ball will continue to be Packers’ employees for years to come.” Gutekunst was promoted to GM in 2018, and LaFleur was hired in 2019. Both were nearing the ends of their original contracts as the 2022 season approached. Gutekunst originally signed a five-year contract that was set to expire after this season. LaFleur originally signed a four-year contract with a fifth-year option. Ball has been with the Packers since 2008 but was promoted to his current role, which includes managing the salary cap, in 2018 so he also was nearing the end of his deal.
The work all three have done over the course of their respective tenures has been quite impressive. The team has been a perenial contender since LaFleur came on board.
Two big questions remain for the trio over the course of the next few years. 1. Can they finally get over the hump and win a championship with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback? and 2. Can they continue to shine in their roles (and win truckloads of football games) whenever the generational talent at quarterback walks away?