Zero2Cool
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By Pete Dougherty
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The Green Bay Packers could have Bob Harlan's successor as chief executive officer in place by early in the upcoming football season.
The Packers' executive committee appears to be in no hurry to negotiate John Jones' departure, though the separation is inevitable. Jones went on administrative leave four days before he was to take over as the team's president and CEO in late May, and it's a given he won't return to the team.
But Packers officials aren't saying anything about Jones' status and have not contacted him about his future or the final three years of his contract. The executive committee appears to be allowing Jones a couple of months' grace period on leave before moving to cut ties. Then, it presumably will begin in earnest its search for Harlan's successor, which could take a month or two.
"It's not going to be a rush job," Harlan said of resolving Jones' status. "I'd like to think by the fall that we're in pretty good shape on everything."
It's not clear how the Packers will settle with Jones, whose contract is believed to be worth between $800,000 or $900,000 a year. Harlan and the executive committee blocked Jones' planned ascension into the CEO role because of excessive but unidentified administrative failings.
Though committee members undoubtedly are discussing candidates amongst themselves, they won't officially begin their search until resolving Jones' contract. At that time, the executive committee probably will designate a search committee comprised of some of its members plus representatives from the board of directors.
The search committee would determine whether it can identify enough strong candidates on its own or to hire a search firm for help.
Harlan has said the Packers need a CEO with vast experience in NFL administration and strong contacts among owners and the league office, so they likely will look at high-ranking executives from teams around the league, as well as internal candidates.
Ron Wolf, the Packers' former general manager, agreed that the NFL's economic complexity and growth in recent years mandates that type of administrative background. Harlan hired Jones from the league's office in 1999 to groom for the role, but Jones proved not to have the administrative skills for the job.
"They went that league office route, and that didn't work, and usually that doesn't work," Wolf said. "I don't know of anybody that's been appointed from that league office that's been successful at anything from a team's standpoint. Those guys, they don't understand what it's like to work for a club.
"It's not an easy job, but there's got to be people that can fulfill this. You're going to ask me, who? I don't know. I've been away too long. But I'm sure there's up-and-coming young guys or guys — let me put it like this: Who in their right mind wouldn't, if you're offered a job with the Packers, want that job? If you have any skill whatsoever, that has to be a prime job."
The search for a successor appears wide open. The obvious candidates are former Packers vice president Mike Reinfeldt, and current Packers executives Andrew Brandt and Jason Wied.
There are questions about whether Brandt has the administrative background as vice president of player finance and general counsel, or whether Wied, the team's vice president of administration and corporate counsel, has enough experience at age 35.
Wolf, who came to the Packers in 1992 in part because of Reinfeldt's urging as one of Harlan's vice presidents, is unsure whether Reinfeldt would leave the Tennessee Titans after taking their general manager job early this offseason.
The NFL almost surely would consider the move a promotion, so Titans owner Bud Adams probably would have to consent if the Packers and Reinfeldt wanted to talk about the job. But Reinfeldt, a Baraboo native, could have conflicting loyalties, because he played most of his NFL career for Adams when the team was located in Houston.
"You're talking about a unique thing here. You're talking about an opportunity to run the Packers," Wolf said. "That's different than running the Tennessee Titans, because you're running the Tennessee Titans, (but) you've got Bud Adams and Bud Adams' in-laws (as bosses). It's a little different situation there. But maybe Mike would feel an obligation to Tennessee. I wouldn't have an idea about that."
Wolf's age precludes him from being a candidate because at 68 he's only two years shy of the CEO's mandatory retirement age of 70.
"I couldn't do that (job) anyway," he said.
Some interesting comments from Wolf here.
