At some point in the next few years, the Green Bay Packers will have to endure a major transition when legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers inevitably announces his retirement. After a tumultuous year, Rodgers made peace with the front office and signed a new deal. Still, the four-time MVP will weigh his future after every season, and the end of the Rodgers era is likely in sight.
That won’t be the only major shakeup for the Packers’ organization in the next few years. Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy reiterated on his monthly Q&A that he will retire on July 13, 2025, his 70th birthday. The Packers’ bylaws state that board members must resign at age 70, which also applies to the president.
Murphy has served as President/CEO since 2007 and has been a staple of this period of Green Bay football. While the team is already starting its search for a successor, Packers fans should enjoy this era while they can and appreciate the CEO’s success.
Where most NFL teams answer to billionaires of varying success, the Packers’ publicly owned status means they don’t have a schemer at the top making unilateral decisions. Murphy may be in charge, but he answers to the board and the shareholders. Murphy has thrived in this capacity, bringing in the right people and trusting them to make their own decisions, giving them the autonomy to run their area of expertise and not meddling.
In his first season as President/CEO, Murphy endured one of the biggest transitions in franchise history — Brett Favre‘s exit and Rodgers’ emergence. Murphy may not have hired Ted Thompson or have been in charge when the Packers drafted Rodgers, but he trusted Thompson’s succession plan and supported Rodgers becoming the starter.
Obviously, that decision led to massive success. Rodgers and the Packers have been one of the most successful teams since those early days, including winning Super Bowl XLV. Murphy didn’t have to do much on the football side of things, but he trusted his team and didn’t meddle, putting him above most NFL leaders.
Murphy’s biggest test on that side of the operation occurred in 2018. Thompson’s last few draft classes had mostly fizzled out, and he stepped down in January. In the first major shakeup of Murphy’s tenure, the Packers promoted Brian Gutekunst, but it wouldn’t be the last one that year. Murphy also changed the flow of power in Green Bay. Instead of a linear structure, Gutekunst, Russ Ball (who he promoted to director of player personnel), and head coach Mike McCarthy would all report directly to Murphy.
It was a controversial change. Only time will tell how it ultimately plays out. But the triumvirate approach is working well so far.
Following the 2014 NFC Championship collapse, the team was trending in the wrong direction. Rodgers’ play was still very good, but it had slipped following his second MVP season. Meanwhile, tension grew between Rodgers and McCarthy. The Packers fired McCarthy late in the 2018 season. Under the new power structure, Murphy would be the decision-maker for his replacement.
Murphy kept Gutekunst and Ball heavily involved in the search, and it seemed like Matt LaFleur was the unanimous decision. Even though Murphy had the sole power to choose, he still trusted the people he put in control.
Since then, Murphy has again been mostly hands-off with the team, trusting LaFleur, Gutekunst, and Ball to do their jobs. It may not seem like much, but when you look at how teams like the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns are run, this is the balance of power every team should desire.
When tension between Rodgers and Green Bay’s front office became apparent on the eve of the 2021 NFL Draft, Murphy may have made some questionable comments (“complicated fella”). However, he kept their conversations private, didn’t gaslight his quarterback, and was able to work out their differences in private. Again, maybe not exciting, but look at Cleveland for the alternative.
Murphy has been highly successful on the business side of things. He is truly passionate about Green Bay as a city and has set out to prove the NFL’s smallest market can hang with the big boys. He was instrumental in building the Titletown District to maintain tourism all year, and he’s been a significant force in pushing for Green Bay to host the NFL draft. Green Bay has yet to receive the honor, but the city gets closer every year and was a finalist in 2024.
The team has been lucrative during Murphy’s reign, though the franchise’s success through the Brett Favre era certainly set a precedent.
An unrelated fun fact: Murphy is the only person to win a Super Bowl as a player and a team’s chief executive.
A second Super Bowl with Green Bay would certainly bolster Murphy’s legacy. However, there’s not much more he can personally do other than continue to trust and advise the people he put in charge. His successor may have an interesting transition as the team adapts to life without Rodgers, but Murphy will leave the team in a good place overall.
It’s often hard for us fans to empathize with the wealthy owners around the NFL, and many of them aren’t good people. But Murphy has been one of the good NFL leaders. He’s been successful with the on-field and off-field aspects of the job. His successor will have big shoes to fill.
