In the case of Johnny Jolly, absolutely - Ted Thompson defied conventional wisdom and took a chance which is paying off big. In the case of Greg Jennings, however, Ted Thompson did offer him supposedly more money than the Vikings are paying him. If logic prevailed, he would be a Packer, and the current injury situation would be less of a problem. The cap situation might be a different story.
I'm not completely sold on Ted Thompson being a "great" GM. I just have to ask, what if Aaron Rodgers didn't fall to us? Honestly, Thompson has not put together all that great a roster otherwise. The team I am most familiar with other than the Packers - the Cowboys, for example, have loaded up at WR, TE, LB, DB, and D Line, and rebuilt their O Line with pretty fair success, mostly without high-priced free agents, and with not much different draft position from the Packers. Seattle also has come from way down to have a loaded team. Kansas City and Houston also. Sure, there are a lot of counter-examples, but the Packers don't need to be compared to those, rather to the best.
I would NOT want more signings of over-priced FAs; I acknowledge TT's success in the low rounds and UDFAs. I'm just saying he rates IMO good, not great overall in building a team.
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