Ted Thompson Ted Thompson ( born January 17 , 1953 , in Atlanta , Texas ) is the current general manager of the NFL ' s Green Bay Packers . Thompson was named to the post on January 14 , 2005 , by former Packers president and CEO Bob Harlan . Thompson took over the general manager duties from Mike Sherman , who had been serving as both head coach and general manager . Prior to becoming the Packers ' general manager , Thompson served with the Seattle Seahawks as their vice president of operations from 2000 to 2004 . Thompson had previously worked for the Packers organization from 1992 to 1999 , serving as their assistant director of pro personnel in 1992 , their director of pro personnel from 1993 to 1997 , and their director of player personnel from 1997 to 1999 . Thompson also had a 10 - year playing career in the NFL as a linebacker and special teams player with the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1984 . Career as a player . Ted Thompson played college football at Southern Methodist University starting three years at linebacker intercepting seven passes during his career . During Thompson ' s senior year he served as a team captain and was also the team ' s place kicker . As an undrafted free agent in 1975 , Thompson was signed by the Houston Oilers . The Oilers ' GM and coach was Bum Phillips who had briefly coached Thompson at Southern Methodist . Thompson won a spot as a back - up linebacker and special teams player and held this position for 10 years . Although Thompson only started eight games during his career , he proved durable playing in 146 of 147 games . In a 1981 game against the New York Jets , Thompson successfully converted four extra - point attempts as the emergency kicker . Front office . Green Bay Packers ( scout ) . In 1992 Ted Thompson was hired by Ron Wolf as a scout for the Green Bay Packers . Thompson worked for the Packers through the 1999 season when former Packers ' head coach Mike Holmgren recruited Thompson to join the Seattle Seahawks . During Thompson ' s time with the Packers as a scout , the Packers advanced to the playoffs six times , participating in two Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl XXXI Seattle days . Thompson worked in Seattle as Vice President of Football Operations ; also heading Seattle ' s scouting department and running the draft boards . He worked alongside former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren , who was Seattle ' s GM at the time . During Thompson ' s tenure in Seattle , the Seahawks advanced to the playoffs twice . In 2005 , following Thompson ' s departure to the Packers the Seahawks had their best success in team history , reaching the Super Bowl . Many of the players on Seattle ' s Super Bowl team were acquired under Thompson ' s direction , including HB Shaun Alexander , WR Darrell Jackson , OG Steve Hutchinson , CB Marcus Trufant , and K Josh Brown , In an interview with Mike Holmgren in 2009 , Holmgren noted that " Once Ted Thompson came on board and we settled down a little bit , we started making good decisions . " Green Bay Packers ( general manager ) . 2005 . Thompson replaced Mike Sherman as general manager of the Packers in 2005 . When Thompson was hired the Packers were over the salary cap for the upcoming 2005 season . Some of Thompson ' s first decisions included declining to re - sign starting guard Marco Rivera and releasing starting guard Mike Wahle and starting safety Darren Sharper , three key components of the team ' s three - time NFC North division championship team . Thompson ' s first draft netted a quarterback in first round pick Aaron Rodgers , as well as defensive starters in safety Nick Collins and linebacker Brady Poppinga . The drafting of Rodgers was especially notable in that he had been expected to be selected much earlier in the draft but wound up falling to the late first round . In free agency following the draft , Thompson signed low - priced players , picking up guards Matt O ' Dwyer and Adrian Klemm to make up for the losses of Wahle and Rivera . However , O ' Dwyer was cut during training camp , and Klemm was benched towards the end of the season . Thompson acquired several free agents during the season that proved more successful , including running back Samkon Gado , tight end Donald Lee and wide receiver Rod Gardner . Still , the team struggled to overcome injuries at numerous offensive skill positions , most notably season - ending injuries to # 1 running back Ahman Green , # 2 RB Najeh Davenport and # 1 wide receiver Javon Walker , and Green Bay finished the season with a 4 - 12 record , the worst record for the franchise since 1991 . 2006 . Thompson ' s first action during the 2006 offseason was the firing of head coach Mike Sherman , stating " This was more thinking in terms of where we are and where we need to get to . " Sherman was replaced on January 12 , 2006 by Mike McCarthy , who came to the Packers after previously serving in the role of offensive coordinator for both the San Francisco 49ers ' 32nd - ranked offense and New Orleans Saints . McCarthy also served as quarterback coach for the Packers in 1999 , giving him hands - on experience with franchise quarterback Brett Favre and some familiarity with Thompson . The hiring was considered a surprise to many in NFL circles , as McCarthy was not considered a prime head coaching candidate despite the number of head coaching vacancies . The Packers entered the offseason with a league best $ 32 million available under the salary cap . However , Thompson elected not to retain several veterans including kicker Ryan Longwell , center Mike Flanagan , or linebacker Na ' il Diggs . Thompson retained several other veterans , as the team re - signed Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Kampman , running back Ahman Green , guard Kevin Barry and fullback William Henderson to new contracts . Thompson also was more active in free agency than he was in 2005 , focusing mostly on defense by signing defensive back Charles Woodson from the Oakland Raiders , safety Marquand Manuel from the Seattle Seahawks , defensive tackle Ryan Pickett from the St . Louis Rams , and linebacker Ben Taylor from the Cleveland Browns . In the 2006 NFL Draft , Thompson amassed 12 picks and continued his restructuring on the defensive side of the football . With the fifth overall pick in the draft , Thompson selected linebacker A . J . Hawk from Ohio State . Thompson later added another Big Ten linebacker , Abdul Hodge from Iowa . Thompson also nabbed eventual starter Johnny Jolly with a 6th round pick . Thompson also addressed offensive deficiencies during the draft by nabbing wide receiver Greg Jennings , guard Jason Spitz and guard Daryn Colledge . Several of these draft picks contributed almost immediately to the Packers ' lineup . Jennings , Colledge , Spitz , and Hawk started the entire year and a 5th round pick , Tony Moll , started 10 games in his rookie season while other offensive linemen were out with injuries . Jennings , Hawk , and Colledge were also selected to NFL ' s official all - rookie team . 2007 . The 2007 season was a successful one for Thompson and the Packers . With a league - best $ 21 million available below the salary cap , the Packers ' lone free agent signing in the offseason was former NY Giants cornerback Frank Walker . There were rumors indicating that the team was interested in trading for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss , but Moss was instead dealt to the New England Patriots . Most notably , in September Thompson traded a 6th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for New York Giants ' running back Ryan Grant , who was starting by game eight and went on to have an outstanding season . In the 2007 NFL Draft , Thompson selected University of Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell with the # 16 overall selection in the first round . This move was a surprise selection to many fans because Harrell was not a widely known player , had a long history of injury , and many felt the team had more pressing needs . Fans and draft prognosticators also widely panned Thompson ' s selection of James Jones in the third round . Despite heavy criticism , Jones , and several of Thompson ' s other 2007 draft picks , played significant roles for the Packers during the 2007 season . Although Harrell was recovering from a college biceps injury , he played in the Packers final five games . Harrell played in seven games in 2007 , starting in two . James Jones served as the Packers ' third receiver and finished third among rookies in receiving ( 47 receptions for 676 yards ) . Other notable members of the Packers ' 2007 draft class include running backs Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn , who were early season starters for the Packers , Korey Hall , who served as the team ' s starting fullback , safety Aaron Rouse , who tallied two interceptions while filling in for injured players , and kicker Mason Crosby , who led the NFL in scoring in 2007 . Despite the offseason criticism preceding the 2007 season , Thompson and the Packers were the surprise team of the NFL through the 2007 season , as they finished the regular season with a 13 – 3 record . The Packers made it to the NFC Championship game , losing to eventual Super Bowl champions the New York Giants , 23 - 20 in overtime . Thompson was voted Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year for his 2007 work on March 25 , 2008 . 2008 . The 2008 off - season and training camp was a rather rocky one for Thompson . While free agency was quiet , with the team ' s lone signing being linebacker Brandon Chillar , Thompson was at the center of a controversy surrounding quarterback Brett Favre ' s desire to unretire for the 2008 season . Favre , who announced his retirement on March 6 , announce his desire to unretire after the 2008 draft in which the Packers selected two quarterbacks . Thompson , along with Packers ' management and head coach Mike McCarthy , were adamant about their desire to move on with Aaron Rodgers as the team ' s new starting quarterback , with McCarthy stating " The football team has moved forward , the train has left the station " . Favre , meanwhile , expressed frustration with Thompson regarding hiring and personnel decisions stating that he was only " guilty of retiring early " . As a result , on July 11 , 2008 , Favre asked for his unconditional release from the Green Bay Packers . Thompson had repeatedly stated that the team would not release him and at the time were engaged in a standoff with Favre that could have ended with Favre taking up to a $ 25 million buyout to remain retired and participate in a marketing and merchandising role with the team . On August 6 , 2008 , Thompson and Favre agreed on a trade and he was sent to the New York Jets for a conditional 4th round pick . The pick was to become a third - round pick if Favre took the majority of the team ' s snaps at quarterback , a second - round pick if he took 70 percent of the snaps and the team made the playoffs , and a first - round pick if Favre took 80 percent of the snaps at quarterback and the Jets reached Super Bowl XLIII . The Jets failed to make the playoffs but Favre took the majority of the teams snaps ; so the 4th round pick became a 3rd round pick . Favre made the AFC Pro Bowl and led the Jets to a 9 - 7 record , while the Packers fell to 6 - 10 including losing 5 of their last 6 games of the season . Besides the obvious controversy concerning the Brett Favre unretirement and trade , Thompson was considerably criticized by his decision in the 2008 offseason to waive punter Jon Ryan . After an excellent season , Thompson chose to waive the punter . The punter was quickly picked up by Seattle and had another impressive season while the Packers filtered though punters Derrick Frost and Jeremy Kapinos . Ultimately the loss of a good punter contributed to several momentum shifts during games due to poor punts aiding the Packers in achieving a 6 - 10 season . 2009 . In the 2009 offseason , Ted Thompson continued to uphold his philosophy to build through the draft , selecting NT B . J . Raji with the 9th overall pick . and then trading several picks to move up and select OLB Clay Matthews with the 26th overall pick . Later picks include eventual starters OG T . J . Lang , DE Jarius Wynn , and OLB Brad Jones . Raji , Matthews , and Jones made an immediate impact and all wound up as starters their rookie year . Matthews and Raji have developed into Pro - Bowl players . 2010 . In the 2010 NFL Draft , the Packers selected offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in the first round . The Packers also drafted eventual starters safety Morgan Burnett , offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse , and running back James Starks . Important rotational players drafted include tight end Andrew Quarless and defensive lineman C . J . Wilson . The Packers also signed several notable free agents including rookie undrafted free agents cornerback Sam Shields , linebacker Frank Zombo , punter Tim Masthay , tight end Tom Crabtree and center / guard Evan Dietrich - Smith . Other notable free agents include safety Charlie Peprah and linebacker Erik Walden . The Packers went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 - 25 to win Super Bowl XLV , becoming the first # 6 seed from the NFC to win the Super Bowl , and second # 6 seed to win the super bowl since the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005 . On February 11 , 2011 , Thompson was re - signed to a multiyear contract extension 2011 . In the 2011 NFL Draft , Thompson selected offensive tackle Derek Sherrod with the 32nd overall pick . Although several rookies , including Sherrod , received playing time their rookie year , only second round pick Randall Cobb ( wide receiver and returner ) made a significant impact . Linebacker D . J . Smith and running back Brandon Saine made smaller contributions as injury fill - ins and special teams players . During the season the Packers gave wide receiver Jordy Nelson a new contract . The Packers allowed defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins to sign as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles . The Packers went on to have a successful 15 - 1 regular season , but lost their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants . 2012 . After the Packers had a historically bad year on defense , allowing over 400 yards per game , the Packers went on to dedicate the offseason to improve their defense . After resigning tight end Jermichael Finley and cornerback Jarrett Bush they signed former New Orleans Saints Anthony Hargrove , former Miami Dolphins Phillip Merling and former colts Daniel Muir . They also resigned linebacker Erik Walden . Ted Thompson decided to let Pro Bowl center Scott Wells depart and brought in former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday . Wells now plays for the St . Louis Rams . Backup quarterback Matt Flynn went to the Seahawks and backup cornerback Patrick Lee went to the Oakland Raiders . After Pro Bowl Safety Nick Collins went down during the season and was not cleared to play again the Packers decided to release him . They also released their long - time starter at offensive tackle Chad Clifton after he missed more than half of the games in 2011 and failed a physical before the Draft . The replacement safety Charlie Peprah was also cut at the beginning of training camp . In the 2012 NFL Draft Thompson added six defensive players with the first six picks . With their first pick , 28th overall , the Packers selected Nick Perry a defensive end out of the University of Southern California . In the second round the Packers traded up to secure defensive tackle Jerel Worthy 51st overall . Later in the Draft they traded up into the second round again to select Vanderbilt University defensive back Casey Hayward with the 62nd pick . In the fourth round they added defensive tackle Mike Daniels and safety Jerron McMillian and in the fifth they picked linebacker Terrell Manning . The Draft was rounded out with the selections of offensive tackle Andrew Datko and quarterback B . J . Coleman , both selected in the seventh round .