As general manager of the Green Bay Packers, Brian Gutekunst occupies one of 32 of the most sought-after roles in professional sports. However, the man who runs the Packers' football operations stands alone from his peers. The main difference in Gutekunst's role versus the NFL's other 31 general managers? Both Gutekunst and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur report directly to team president Mark Murphy, instead of LaFleur reporting to Gutekunst, and then the GM reporting to Murphy.

“I think there probably is [envy],” Gutekunst said to ESPN in a recent report. “I think, just, it's the ability to have the patience we are doing things the right way. But yeah, I think there probably is, and I know there's a lot of pride in our organization in how we go about things in that fact as well.”

Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur are arguably NFL's most interesting duo

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst addresses the media after the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers selected Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan with the 25th pick.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

By having both Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst report to Mark Murphy (who will retire next year and be replaced by Ed Policy), the Packers' management structure stands alone. It could be the best of both worlds, as it takes some responsibility off of Gutekunst's plate and allows him to just focus on building the best team possible for LaFleur and his staff. In turn, the setup puts the general manager and head coach on roughly equal footing, making it more of a true partnership than the other 31 NFL teams have.

The argument can also be made that the arrangement also places a bit more pressure on LaFleur. His fellow head coaches usually don't have to deal with the team president and/or owner (Murphy represents the Packers at the owners' meetings as the team is the only one that is publicly owned), so that is one aspect where they have a slight advantage on Green Bay's coach.

However, ever since Murphy made this structure change in 2018 after hiring Gutekunst, the team has still experienced quite a bit of success. In fact, they really only haven't accomplished one goal: winning the Super Bowl. The Packers haven't won the Lombardi Trophy since 2010, when former quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the team to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 45.

Gutekunst and LaFleur look to capture their first Lombardi Trophy

During their time in charge of the team, the duo of Gutekunst and LaFleur have made the postseason four times, including two NFC Championship game births. Furthermore, their selection of quarterback Jordan Love to replace Rodgers in the 2020 NFL Draft has also proved to be a shrewd move, as the signal caller excelled in his first year as the starter. The Packers made it to the Divisional Round of last year's playoffs, almost upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in the process.

With the 2024-25 season fast approaching, it's clear that this partnership has become one of the NFL's best. One more hurdle remains for Gutekunst and LaFleur: To bring home a fifth Lombardi Trophy.