Green Bay Packers fans can breathe a bit easier today. One of the team’s top executives and scouts has chosen to stay with the organization rather than continue pursuing another job.
That man is Eliot Wolf, who was one of two Packers execs in the running for the San Francisco 49ers’ vacant General Manager position. Wolf, the Packers’ director of football operations, was reported to be up for a second interview with the 49ers, but circumstances have apparently changed his mind.
Here’s the report from USA Today’s Tom Pelissero:
#Packers executive Eliot Wolf has pulled out of the #49ers GM search, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 19, 2017
As for why Wolf is no longer in the running in the Bay Area? One report suggests that Wolf “didn’t feel it was the right time,” but it probably has much more to do with this:
Wolf received a new deal in Green Bay.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 19, 2017
Perhaps Wolf leveraged the prospect of leaving for a GM job into a more lucrative deal; perhaps that deal even comes with some level of assurance regarding his role moving forward, particularly in the event that current Packers GM Ted Thompson retires. However, any speculation about the contents of Wolf’s new deal is just that - speculation. The only sure thing now is that Thompson’s top lieutenant is coming back to Green Bay for at least one more season.
Meanwhile, director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst remains the favorite for the 49ers’ job, as reported by Albert Breer. The new 49ers GM will likely have a rather unorthodox relationship with his head coach, however, as the organization has already identified Kyle Shanahan for that job rather than letting the new GM conduct his own search.