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Ted Thompson, whose 13-year career as the Green Bay Packers general manager included their 2010 Super Bowl championship season, has passed away. He was 68 years old.
The Packers announced Thursday that Thompson had died the night before at his home in Atlanta, Texas. The team said they had been contacted by a direct family member.
Thompson announced in May 2019 he had been diagnosed with an autonomic nervous disorder.
He was general manager from 2005 to 17 and drafted many notable players on the current roster, including two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He acquired 49 of the 53 players on the 2010 Packers Championship team.
“He, in my opinion, is the best talent assessor, especially when it comes to the draft, which I have ever seen or been,” said Brian Gutekunst, who worked alongside Thompson at Green Bay before him. succeed to the post of general manager. . “He had a very unique way of seeing what a player was going to be and the best he could be.”
Thompson spent more than two decades in the Packers front office and was the team’s professional personnel manager when the Packers won the Super Bowl for the 1996 season and won the NFC title the following year.
“I think the only thing that really sets me apart is his humility,” said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. “Ted was never mentioned. It was always the best thing for the organization. “
Thompson had a 10-season playing career as a linebacker with the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1984. Tennessee Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement that Thompson “was a smart and savvy player. , who made his mark in special teams and clearly had a good feel for the game.
But he had his biggest impact as a manager. He worked at the Green Bay front office from 1992 to 1999 and was vice president of football operations for the Seattle Seahawks from 2000 to 2004.
He returned to Green Bay in 2005. Mike Sherman had worked as a coach and general manager of the Packers until this point. The Packers have decided to give Thompson the role of general manager while leaving Sherman the coach.
“It won’t be where I’m going to walk around with a big hammer like I’m running the perch,” Thompson said at the time. “Again, this is not a democracy. But it’s also a place where we will work together.
During Thompson’s first year as general manager, the Packers made the decision to change the franchise to select Rodgers with the 24th draft pick when they already had Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre on. their list.
The move gave the Packers a three-decade streak of outstanding quarterback play.
“I have always appreciated his firm hand and the conversations we would have,” Rodgers said in a statement. “He always made it clear what he expected from the team and what he expected from me. He’s always preached about putting the team first, not being a distraction, being a good teammate, being a good professional, and I’ve always appreciated those comments.
With Thompson as general manager, the Packers made eight straight playoff games from 2009 to 2016, including the Super Bowl championship season in 2010.
“When I think of Ted who he was as a man will always carry more weight than he did professionally,” said Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who coached the 2006 Packers. to 18. “There has never been a finer human being to walk the playing fields or be present in the recognition rooms.
“Ted gave me a unique chance. As a young, first-time head coach who thought he had all the answers, I couldn’t have been matched with a more perfect leader. He taught me patience. I will always remember all the times he just smiled at me and said, “Slow down, young man.”
The 2010 Packers team that won the Super Bowl included defensive back Charles Woodson, Thompson’s most notable veteran. Woodson, the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, tweeted “Once upon a time around 2006, I was a free agent and a team took a photo of me orchestrated by Ted Thompson.
“He was ready to take free will,” Murphy said. “But he knew the best way to build a team was through the draft.”
Thompson’s draft picks that remain on the list include four All-Pro selections this season: Rodgers, wide receiver Davante Adams, left tackle David Bakhtiari and center Corey Linsley. Rodgers was the only first-round pick in that group. Adams was drafted in the second round, Bakhtiari in the fourth and Linsley in the fifth.
Other notable current Packers drafted by Thompson include defensive tackle Kenny Clark, kicker Mason Crosby and running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.
“He’s definitely a guy who is held in the highest regard in this building and, I think, just around the league,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He had a huge impact not only on the people in this building, obviously Gutey (Gutekunst), but also on people in other departments. His impact is still being felt to this day when you look at our roster, but I think he’s had a huge impact among many people across the league, when you look at all the other GMs who have learned under him.
Packers officials praised Thompson’s calmness, patience and quiet confidence. Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who has worked with Thompson three times, called him “an amazing person and a mentor to so many.”
Other Thompson draft picks who had productive careers with Green Bay before leaving included linebacker Clay Matthews, offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, wide receivers Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Greg Jennings.
Thompson said his health led him to step down as general manager after the 2017 season.
Thompson stepped into a senior advisor role. Gutekunst, who had worked with Thompson as director of player personnel, was promoted to general manager and remains in that position.
“One of the things that really helped me to be around him was seeing things through his eyes as a former player, always understanding that what matters is the team and these guys. -bas, “Gutekunst said.
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid was an assistant coach for the Packers on Thompson’s first trip to Green Bay and called him a “good friend” on Thursday.
“He was good at what he did, but he was even better,” Reid said.
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