Joe Barry isn’t the only one on the proverbial hot seat. What do I mean by hot seat? I mean a coach or player who is in a dire position of losing their job. I’m sure the consensus pick as of right now for a coach or player to lose their job is the Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry. I’d like to argue that it is more than just Barry. It is so much more.
The Green Bay Packers don’t have a single owner to run the entire franchise. No, they have a board of directors and the leader of that board of directors is the President and CEO. That person happens to be Mark Murphy.
Mark Murphy took over in December of 2007 after former President and CEO Bob Harlan retired. Murphy has been in that position for coming up on sixteen years now, but that will soon come to an end.
Why Bring Up Murphy and the Hot Seat?
Mark Murphy isn’t on the hot seat. As President and CEO he has done a great job with the Packers – I could argue probably a Hall of Fame career (though this won’t happen until Bob Harlan is put in – also why isn’t Bob Harlan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?!). However, the President and CEO of the Packers is a part of the board of directors. And the board of directors have to enter emeritus status at the age of 70.
Mark Murphy will turn 70 on July 13th, 2025. Therefore, Mark Murphy will retire as President and CEO on July 13th, 2025: a massive change in leadership. The board of directors is probably already deep into a succession plan for Murphy.
“You are right regarding our board members – they go to emeritus status when they turn 70. Since I am a member of the board, the policy applies to me and I will retire on July 13, 2025, when I turn 70. The organization’s executive committee has started to make plans for the process and timeline to find my successor. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the Packers president.”- Mark Murphy’s response to a question on his Murphy Takes Five article on packers.com.
Okay, So Murphy Is Gone Soon, So What?
This leaves a season and half left. A season and half for this entire regime to prove themselves.
A season and half for Brian Gutekunst to show that he has made the right decisions on draft day through free agency through all aspects of building a team.
This leaves just a season and half for Matt LaFleur to prove that he is the coach of the future for this franchise. The he can take young talent and push them to new heights, to get his players playing like Super Bowl champions.
A season and a half is all that is left for the coordinators and the assistant coaches (including Joe Barry) will have to show they are what is best for this franchise.
Finally, there is just a season and half left for these players to prove they have what it takes to bring a Lombardi trophy back home. Because, after a year and half, everything could change. Mark Murphy won’t be president anymore.
So, Who Is On The Hot Seat?
Everyone. Everyone is on the hot seat. Whenever a new regime is brought in, they will always want their guys. They will always want to show they can do it from beginning to end. So, whoever replaces Mark Murphy will want to build his or her team their own way. That might include Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur if they can prove themselves in the next year and half, but if they can’t…
We could quite possibly be seeing a new president, a new general manager, and new coaching staff come 2025.
They’ll have this year to grow the young talent and experience losses here and there. That’s okay.
But next year, in the 2024 season, that will be it. They have to win. From Brian Gutekunst, to Matt LaFleur, to Joe Barry, they all have to win.
So, as the late Al Davis of the Raiders used to say, “Just Win, Baby.”
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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