Murphy will wait until after season to address Thompson, McCarthy contracts
Green Bay - It's about what you'd expect the CEO of a team preparing for the Super Bowl to say.
He'll wait until the end of the season is over before he addresses whether to extend the contracts of general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy.
Team president Mark Murphy said Saturday he didn't want to create any distractions this week as the Packers prepare for Super Bowl XLV and won't discuss anything about the two men's contracts until after the game next Sunday.
Both have two years left on their deals.
Murphy will let Thompson handle an extension with McCarthy, but he would work directly with Thompson in extending his deal. If Thompson's deal is extended, it's likely McCarthy's will be also. Both men had their contracts extended to five years after the 2007 season, putting them in lockstep with each other moving forward.
There is no set formula for extending a coach or general manager's contract, although most extensions seem to come with one or two years left. Having a Super Bowl season towards the tail end of a contract certainly is conducive to getting a big pay raise.
Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt, New York Giant's Tom Coughlin, Chicago's Lovie Smith, Seattle's Mike Holmgren and St. Louis' Mike Martz all got extensions immediately after leading a team to the Super Bowl. Only Martz had two years left on his contract when the new deal was done.
"Obviously, I am very pleased with the job both Ted and Mike have done," Murphy said. "I've always had great confidence in them and I think the success we're having right now is a tribute to both of them. And for Ted, the success we're enjoying now is a tribute to his last two, three years, putting together a roster and the depth that we have.
"It's really remarkable what he's done. I have tremendous confidence in Ted but I also have great respect in how he handles himself. He does things the right way. It's great to see him have the kind of success he's having."
"Tom Silverstein" wrote: