The Packers avoid losing one of their top executives after the Colts hire Chris Ballard as their new general manager. Twice, Green Bay Packers  director of football operations Eliot Wolf has interviewed for vacant general-manager positions since the end of the 2016 regular season. Twice, those jobs have gone to other candidates. On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts , with which Wolf interviewed earlier this week, hired Chris Ballard to head their front office.
Wolf, doesn't turn 35 until March, has garnered considerable interest over the past few years from teams in search of new general managers. The Detroit Lions  attempted to pursue him after the 2015 season, but the Packers blocked that interview. However, Green Bay has taken a more laissez-faire approach this time around, allowing Wolf to meet with the San Francisco 49ers  earlier in January before his sit down with the Colts this week.
By the Colts choosing Ballard as their new general manager, the Packers avoided losing one of their top executives this offseason. However, the growing interest in Wolf (as well as director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst) suggests that defections could come in subsequent years. The team has already given Wolf and Gutekunst new contracts this month, but that does not prevent them from departing for GM positions should they become available.
While the team's current general manager Ted Thompson remains in place for the 2017 season, reports of his nearing retirement also continue mount. As such, if president Mark Murphy sees anyone else working under Thompson as a successor candidate, he might have to lobby hard for them to turn down opportunities elsewhere.



Continue Reading @ Jason B. Hirschhorn 

Jason B. Hirschhorn wrote:

The cult of personality surrounding Eliot Wolf is just weird to me. Why is everyone so convinced that Wolf's staying with the organization is inherently a good thing? If his philosophy clashed materially with Thompson's, he almost certainly would have been gone years ago. Organizations don't keep up-and-comers around unless they play nice within the system. Instead of assuming that he'll bring sweeping changes when he ascends to the throne (assuming he's even in line for the GM spot, which is a major assumption in and of itself), isn't the more parsimonious conclusion that he'll represent the status quo instead of a marked departure from the recruiting style that's gotten Green Bay to the playoffs eight consecutive years?

Originally Posted by: Nonstopdrivel 

I was hoping Eliot Wolf would land the GM job. I'm tired of this will-he won't-he business. Mark Murphy says he has a succession plan in place. Implement it and let's move on.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 

I was hoping Eliot Wolf would land the GM job. I'm tired of this will-he won't-he business. Mark Murphy says he has a succession plan in place. Implement it and let's move on.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 

I was hoping Eliot Wolf would land the GM job. I'm tired of this will-he won't-he business. Mark Murphy says he has a succession plan in place. Implement it and let's move on.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool