The Green Bay Packers are running it back.
They have reportedly agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach Matt LaFleur, but he's not alone.
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers are also signing general manager Brian Gutekunst to a new contract. Silverstein later clarified that Gutekunst's deal isn't completed yet "but is close."
Packers running it back with Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst on new deals
There was never any doubt about Gutekunst's future. As fans, we zoom in on the draft mistakes, but the reality is that he has built a roster ready to compete.
No GM gets every decision right. If you can land two difference-makers in a draft class, it's considered a success. Gutekunst's record is up there with the top roster-builders in the league.
We all remember the criticism he faced after trading up for Jordan Love. That decision aged beautifully. He ensured there was no rebuild after the Aaron Rodgers era, as the Packers have reached the playoffs three straight years since then.
Gutekunst also pulled off the Micah Parsons trade, which is arguably the heist of the century.
Many point out that he has drafted only one All-Pro in eight seasons. That would be his first draft pick, Jaire Alexander. However, that's also a little unfair. Tucker Kraft looked on track for an All-Pro season. Love, at worst, should've made the Pro Bowl, and was third in the MVP odds in December.
Gutekunst also drafted Elgton Jenkins, a multi-time Pro Bowler. Edgerrin Cooper is a future All-Pro. Then there are the difference-makers, like Christian Watson, Devonte Wyatt, and Jayden Reed. He drafted Zach Tom, a star right tackle, in the fourth round, and Rasheed Walker, a reliable starter for three years, in the seventh.
How about trading a seventh-round pick for Malik Willis? Signing Rasul Douglas off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad? Landing Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, Za'Darius Smith, and Adrian Amos in free agency?
Even his most recent first-rounders, who were highly criticized — Matthew Golden, Jordan Morgan, and Lukas Van Ness — all stepped up in the Packers' playoff loss last week. That's a positive sign for the future.
Is Gutekunst perfect? No general manager is. But he has consistently built competitive rosters, and extending his deal is 100 percent the right move.