The Green Bay Packers are beginning the process of keeping Mike McCarthy on the sidelines beyond 2015.
According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Packers team president Mark Murphy began working on a contract extension for the head coach this offseason.
McCarthy, 50, enters his ninth season leading the Packers. In eight seasons he's compiled an 82-45-1 regular season record with a 6-5 playoff performance and a Super Bowl championship.
McCarthy's current contract runs through the end of the 2015 season.
According to McGinn, Murphy's decision to start the contract process with McCarthy was "met by some grumbling within the team's board of directors."
One issue with giving the coach an extension stems from the uncertainty of general manager Ted Thompson's future.
As McGinn explains in depth, Thompson, 61, could choose to walk away from the organization at any time. His contract runs until after the 2016 NFL Draft -- it is unknown if Murphy has approached Thompson about a new deal.
Thompson and McCarthy represent the NFL's longest-tenured coach-general manager duo. When Thompson ultimately does decide to step away, the organization could be hamstrung in its GM search if they insist the new hire be saddled with a coach he didn't choose for the long term.
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