Mark Murphy isn't the first to recognize the offseason's penchant for "undefeated" franchises, but the Green Bay Packers president is pleased, so far, with the flurry of front office changes the team has made to enhance communication efforts.
In an interview with Forbes, Murphy said he's already seeing positive developments from the moves, which included Brian Gutekunst's promotion to general manager and head coach Mike McCarthy reporting directly to Murphy.
"I think we've been a little bit more aggressive in free agency," Murphy said. "I think we helped ourselves there, but not at an exorbitant cost.
"In terms of the draft, I was extremely pleased. I thought that was run extremely well. I thought Brian handled the draft like a seasoned veteran. And I'm anxious to see the draft choices. I think there's a chance for at least a couple of them to have an immediate impact."
Gutekunst's looser purse strings approach to free agency was a departure from the Ted Thompson era in Green Bay. The Packers grabbed two of the bigger names on the free-agent market in defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson and tight end Jimmy Graham and surprised the Cheesehead faithful by parting ways with veteran receiver Jordy Nelson. Green Bay also added Marcedes Lewis, Tramon Williams and Byron Bell while trading corner Damarious Randall to the Cleveland Browns for backup quarterback DeShone Kizer.
That's a level of offseason roster tinkering that's been missing under Thompson's watch. But will the moves help the Packers re-establish themselves among the NFC's elite teams?
It's difficult to imagine the Packers not being a potential Super Bowl contender as long as Aaron Rodgers remains healthy. Murphy would especially love to see that happen in the franchise's 100th anniversary season. He hopes "being a little bit more involved in football than I have in the past" will help them achieve more in 2018.
"I didn't do it for enjoyment," Murphy said about the front-office role changes. "I did it because I think it will be the best thing for the organization. And hopefully if we're successful and it helps us win, then I'll really feel good about it."
