Before Brian Gutekunst stepped to the podium to be introduced as the Packers’ 10th general manager in franchise history, Thompson offered one final tip to his successor.
“He told me to smile more,” said Gutekunst with a laugh. “He said if he could go back and smile a bit more, (he would).”
What more would you expect from Thompson, whose deadpan delivery and dry wit was ubiquitous throughout his own 13-year run as Packers GM.
Thompson led the organization back to the NFL’s Promised Land with a Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010 and built a roster that made eight consecutive trips to the postseason, a franchise record.