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Incoming Green Bay Packers CEO Ed Policy has some big decisions to make as the team continues to trend upward, and one of them is to determine the future of general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur. All have two years left on their contract, and Policy has let it be known that he doesn't think they should be working on the last year of their deals without a contract.
LaFleur, Gutekunst, and executive vice president Russ Ball will all report to Ball when it comes to making team decisions, which is something that outgoing president Mark Murphy put in place before 2018. When asked about their contract situation, Policy had a firm take.
“All three of them [are] under multi-year contracts,” Policy said via ESPN's Rob Demovsky. “None of them are up at the end of this year. We won't be doing anything going into this season.”
The Packers have had success the past two seasons, and the credit can be given to the front office and coaching staff for how they built the team. As they try to build on that success, it would be best if they kept everyone together, and it looks like Policy will have the final say when it comes to those types of decisions.
Packers incoming CEO has a plan
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Policy is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the Packers are winning football games, whether that's making changes to the top or making specific roster moves. When it comes to the top, he has a certain approach to how he wants to handle things.
“I'm generally opposed — I'd never say never — [but] I'm generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.
“So I think generally speaking, I would avoid lame-duck status. It's oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.”
LaFleur has seen a lot of success with the Packers as head coach, and there's no doubt that he will continue to do so. Gutekunst has made the right decision as far as finding talent to bring to the team and has put the team in the right situation to be successful.
