Chiefs abruptly fire GM John Dorsey as Packers speculation abounds

The shocking NFL news for the month of June has arrived.

On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly, and without warning, fired general manager John Dorsey. Dorsey was the Chiefs’ GM for the past four years, during which time the team made the playoffs three times and had a winning record every season.

Details of the decision are sketchy at best, but the statement from the Chiefs’ owner, Clark Hunt, said the following:

I notified John that we would not be extending his contract beyond the 2017 season, and after consideration, we felt it was in his best interests and the best interests of the team to part ways now.

Basically, it appears that Dorsey did not want to be a lame-duck GM - and who can blame him?

Chiefs fans are, understandably, in disbelief. One look at Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation’s Chiefs blog, illustrates this clearly. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Kansas City reportedly had contact with Dorsey earlier this spring about a new contract:

Now, speculation is beginning to abound that this move comes about, in part, because of Dorsey’s reported connections to the Green Bay Packers. The first connection is of course that Dorsey played for the Packers and worked in the team’s front office. He was Green Bay’s Director of College Scouting in two stints, first from 1997-1998 and again from 2000-2011, then served as Director of Football Operations in 2012.

The second piece of fuel on the Dorsey-to-Green Bay fire is this article by Bob McGinn from January, in which he speculates that Dorsey would be the eventual replacement for Ted Thompson when the current Packers’ GM decides to retire. Dorsey’s personal connections in the area (beyond just his own experience with the team) and his contract timeframe were among McGinn’s reasoning.

Thompson’s potential time frame remains unknown, but the Packers also have three more candidates in-house in Eliot Wolf, Brian Gutekunst, and Russ Ball. Wolf and Gutekunst had GM interviews with other teams this offseason and have developed reputations as fantastic talent evaluators, while Ball has made his name as the Packers’ salary cap guru.

For what it’s worth, one well-connected NFL writer does not see Dorsey as being Thompson’s likely replacement:

In any case, Dorsey’s sudden availability adds another layer of intrigue to an already complicated situation in Green Bay. But then again, until Thompson does inform someone of a plan to retire, all the speculation and innuendo is just that: speculation and innuendo.