Tweet
Packers president Bob Harlan plans to strip coach Mike Sherman of his general manager duties and is targeting Seattle Seahawks executive Ted Thompson as a replacement, a Green Bay team source told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed published reports that Harlan is pursuing Thompson, who is Seattle's VP of football operations and used to work for the Packers.
Thompson was scouting the East-West Shrine game in the San Francisco Bay area and was unavailable for comment.
Harlan, who returned from an NFL meeting in New York and met with Sherman late Wednesday, wasn't returning phone calls Thursday, the team said. Sherman, who didn't return a phone message at his office, is scheduled to have his season-ending news conference Friday.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette and Wisconsin State Journal all reported Thursday that the Packers want to hire Thompson.
Thompson's contract with the Seahawks expires in June. The Seahawks couldn't prevent him from interviewing or accepting the Packers' GM job as long as Harlan offers him full authority over football operations -- including the ability to hire and fire the head coach.
Sherman has a year left on his contract, which pays him about $3 million for his dual roles. It's not clear whether the club or Sherman will go through with plans to discuss a contract extension.
Messages left for Sherman's agent, Bob LaMonte, weren't immediately returned Thursday.
Sherman took over GM duties in 2001 after the retirement of Ron Wolf, the architect of Green Bay's revival in the 1990s.
Thompson served as pro personnel director and director of player personnel under Wolf from 1992 to 1999 in Green Bay, working with all three of the Packers' top personnel men: Reggie McKenzie, John Dorsey and John Schneider.
Thompson joined Mike Holmgren in Seattle after the 1999 season and has run the draft and advised him on personnel decisions.
Sherman is 53-27 in the regular season since becoming Packers coach in 2000, but he's only 2-4 in the playoffs, including a first-round loss to the Vikings last weekend.
Source: AP
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed published reports that Harlan is pursuing Thompson, who is Seattle's VP of football operations and used to work for the Packers.
Thompson was scouting the East-West Shrine game in the San Francisco Bay area and was unavailable for comment.
Harlan, who returned from an NFL meeting in New York and met with Sherman late Wednesday, wasn't returning phone calls Thursday, the team said. Sherman, who didn't return a phone message at his office, is scheduled to have his season-ending news conference Friday.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette and Wisconsin State Journal all reported Thursday that the Packers want to hire Thompson.
Thompson's contract with the Seahawks expires in June. The Seahawks couldn't prevent him from interviewing or accepting the Packers' GM job as long as Harlan offers him full authority over football operations -- including the ability to hire and fire the head coach.
Sherman has a year left on his contract, which pays him about $3 million for his dual roles. It's not clear whether the club or Sherman will go through with plans to discuss a contract extension.
Messages left for Sherman's agent, Bob LaMonte, weren't immediately returned Thursday.
Sherman took over GM duties in 2001 after the retirement of Ron Wolf, the architect of Green Bay's revival in the 1990s.
Thompson served as pro personnel director and director of player personnel under Wolf from 1992 to 1999 in Green Bay, working with all three of the Packers' top personnel men: Reggie McKenzie, John Dorsey and John Schneider.
Thompson joined Mike Holmgren in Seattle after the 1999 season and has run the draft and advised him on personnel decisions.
Sherman is 53-27 in the regular season since becoming Packers coach in 2000, but he's only 2-4 in the playoffs, including a first-round loss to the Vikings last weekend.
Source: AP