When the Green Bay Packers begin training camp, they’ll be part of a new regime.
Mark Murphy will pass the torch of leadership to his successor, Ed Policy, at the annual shareholders meeting on July 25.
The soon-to-be CEO and chairman spoke to members of the Packers beat this week and covered many topics, including the future of the staff he’ll inherit.
Policy talked about his view of the structure established by Murphy, where Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, and Russ Ball all report to the CEO as well as the status of LaFleur and Gutekunst’s contracts. Based on these comments, what can we expect from the leadership structure and the future of the general manager and head coach of the Packers?
Policy sat down with local writers and outlined how he'll evaluate the head coach and GM, why he's opposed to lame-duck years and how he feels about Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball. Much more coming next month when Policy officially becomes Packers president and CEO. https://t.co/jxoOIedaMr
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) June 17, 2025
Mark Murphy changed the leadership structure of the Packers after Ted Thompson‘s retirement. Previously, the head coach reported to the general manager. Murphy found this siloed approach troubling and instead changed the structure to have the three heads of the hydra (head coach, general manager, and executive vice president/cap wizard) report to him directly.
This led to some initial concern. One of the Packers’ greatest organizational strengths is that they don’t have a meddling owner forcing decisions on the people hired to do actual football things. The idea of the team’s president getting more involved could have meant a similar type of meddling.
But Murphy maintained a hands-off approach, merely seeking to increase communication between all parties.
Policy plans to maintain this approach with two caveats. He isn’t afraid to change that structure if needed, just as Murphy changed the structure he inherited.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to win football games,” he said. “If that means changing the structure, then we’ll change the structure. Just like Mark was not wedded to the structure that he inherited when he came in, I would say I’m not wedded to the structure. We’ll do whatever is best for the Packers.”
Policy also intends to spend more time in football-related meetings to facilitate communication between LaFleur, Gutekunst, and Ball. The new president insists he’ll stay hands off.
“I’d stay out of their business. I would not meddle in what they do. I would communicate very frequently and openly and directly with them on all things, but certainly no team needs two head coaches or two GMs. Not a lot of change in the way Mark had done that.”
It makes sense that the new leader wants to stay informed by meeting with his staff more often, and, ideally, he’ll stay as hands-off as he claims.
"Policy said he will 'increase the amount and the time of formal meetings with football leadership' in an effort to facilitate communication between Ball, Gutekunst and LaFleur." https://t.co/OjkVPGjL58 pic.twitter.com/HYTzgvohpG
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) June 17, 2025
Policy also spoke about the future of LaFleur and Gutekunst, who have two years remaining on their current contracts.
Policy doesn’t anticipate making any changes this season but expressed a distaste toward “lame duck” years.
“I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left, not always but normally.”
Gutekunst and LaFleur are highly regarded, especially after reaching the playoffs two years in a row with the NFL’s youngest team and after moving on from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But there is a sense of urgency to truly compete for a championship. The 2024 team was good but not great, and the Packers need to get over the hump against good teams.
When new leadership comes in, they often want to hire “their guys” as a mark of their leadership. It seems highly unlikely Policy would go this route, thanks to the success of the current group and his history working with the franchise.
“I feel very good about all three of those individuals. I love them. I trust them. I respect them. I have terrific relationships, both working and personal, with them.”
Unless the Packers have a disastrous season, it’s difficult to see a scenario where LaFleur and Gutekunst don’t receive extensions after the 2025 season. Policy has worked for the franchise for too long to be the type to make changes for the sake of making them.
Policy didn’t directly address it, but my role as owner will also not change.
The new president doesn’t want to just be a successor to Mark Murphy — he’ll want to leave his own legacy on this storied franchise, and he won’t be afraid to make changes if it helps the Packers win games (his self-declared No. 1 priority). But there’s nothing that suggests he’ll be a meddler or make changes to the leadership structure that is currently working well. Murphy handled his duties as CEO admirably and did a lot of good for the franchise. While time can make fools of us all, it looks like his chosen successor learned the right lessons from his mentor.
Ed policy makes it clear in this article that he wants to make a decision on LaFleur and Gutekunst before the final years of their deals.
Both Gutekunst and LaFleur have brought exceptional stability to the franchise despite a massive rebuild…but the championship drought… https://t.co/jPfL7lKtZN
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) June 17, 2025