It's impossible not to think of the Green Bay Packers each and every time the Super Bowl rolls around, what with the championship trophy being named after Vince Lombardi and all.
But beyond the obvious, there are typically several former Packers players suiting up in the Big Game for whom Cheeseheads can root. But that doesn't really apply to Sunday's Super Bowl 60 matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
In fact, only one player who once donned the famed Green & Gold will be taking the field at Levi's Stadium, that being Seahawks backup defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who tallied 52 total tackles and 2.5 sacks in his lone season with the Packers in 2022 before inking a three-year deal to rejoin Seattle for a second stint ahead of the 2023 season.
That said, however, the Packers' connection to this year's battle for the Lombardi is actually quite significant, as the general managers (de facto in one case) of both clubs, Eliot Wolf of the Patriots and John Schneider of the Seahawks, were both once members of Green Bay's front office.
The GMs of the Patriots and Seahawks worked together with the Packers for several years
For those unaware, Eliot Wolf is the son of Ron Wolf, who served as the Packers' general manager from 1991 to 2000 and was responsible for bringing Brett Favre to Titletown, which obviously worked out nicely.
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The younger Wolf first joined the Packers in 2004 as a pro personnel assistant, became the assistant director of pro personnel in 2008, spent one year as the assistant director of player personnel in 2011, and then became the director of pro personnel in 2012. In January 2015, Wolf became the director of player personnel, and just over a year later, he was made the director of football operations. So, he certainly worked his way up the chain.
In early 2018, after longtime GM Ted Thompson opted to move into an advisory role, Wolf interviewed to be his replacement but lost out to none other than Brian Gutekunst, who obviously still holds the job to this day, at which point Wolf opted to leave Green Bay to take the assistant GM position with the Cleveland Browns, a position he held for two seasons.
Wolf joined the Patriots in 2020, was made the director of scouting in 2022, and took over as executive vice president of player personnel in 2024 after the departure of Bill Belichick. Just as Belichick was never officially New England's GM, holding only the "de facto" title, the same applies to Wolf now, and he's obviously done a tremendous job in his short run in the big job, using his first-ever draft pick to select Drake Maye in 2024 and bringing back Mike Vrabel to serve as the Pats' head coach ahead of this season.
As for Schneider, who's a Wisconsin native, he actually wrote Ron Wolf a letter while in college just flat-out asking to be a scout for the Packers, a request Wolf granted in 1993.
Schneider spent four seasons in that role, and after stints with Kansas City, Seattle, and Washington, he returned to Green Bay in 2002 as the top personnel aide to the general manager, a role he held for six years before spending two years as the director of football operations.
In 2010, not long after the Seahawks hired Pete Carroll, Schneider returned to Seattle to become the team's general manager, a role he's held ever since, also holding the titles of executive vice president (2010-2023) and president of football operations (2024-current).
He played a massive part in helping build the team that appeared in two straight Super Bowls, winning the first, and has obviously built this current Seattle squad that hopes to avenge the loss the Seahawks suffered to the Patriots in Super Bowl 49.
Schneider reportedly interviewed to become the Packers' president and CEO last summer, roles that ultimately went to Ed Policy.
So, as you can see, the Packers clearly have a colossal connection to Super Bowl 60. Wolf and Schneider have been great friends for decades now, but friendship naturally falls by the wayside for a few hours when the Lombardi is on the line.