Entering his 27th season overall with the Packers and eighth as the team's general manager, Brian Gutekunst was named to his position on Jan. 8, 2018. During his 26 seasons with the club, he has helped the Packers rank tied for No. 1 in the NFL in playoff appearances (18) and No. 2 in division titles (12), highlighted by six appearances in the NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl title (XLV).
Since Gutekunst was named general manager in 2018, the Packers have posted the top regular-season record in the NFC and the fourth-best mark in the NFL (73-42-1, .634). Green Bay is tied for No. 3 in the league with five playoff appearances over the last six seasons, including teams in 2023 (weighted age of 25.58) and 2024 (25.72) that were the two youngest playoff teams in the NFL over the past 45 seasons (1980-2024, per the Elias Sports Bureau). Green Bay posted 13 wins and captured the NFC North crown in three consecutive seasons (2019-21), the first time in NFL history a team recorded three straight 13-win seasons, while the 39 victories from 2019-21 rank No. 1 in franchise history over a three-season span. The Packers' 67 regular-season wins from 2019-24 are tied for the most over a six-season span in team history (2009-14).
"We could not be more excited to elevate Brian to the position of general manager," said team President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy at the time of Gutekunst's promotion. "He has earned this opportunity throughout his 19 years with the Packers, proving to not only be a skilled talent evaluator, but a trusted and collaborative leader. His time under the direction of former Packers general managers Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson will undoubtedly serve him well as we work toward our next Super Bowl championship. I am confident that he is the man that will help get us there."
Over his first seven seasons constructing the roster, Gutekunst (GOO-tuh-kunst) acquired 20 players who earned All-Pro honors from The Associated Press, were named to the Pro Bowl or selected as alternates or were named to the PFWA All-Rookie team. His first draft pick as the team's general manager, CB Jaire Alexander, was a two-time AP All-Pro selection (2020, 2022) and also earned Pro Bowl recognition in both of those seasons. Drafted by Gutekunst in 2019, G/T Elgton Jenkins was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2022 and also garnered All-Rookie honors in '19. DL Rashan Gary, a first-round selection by Gutekunst in 2019, earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2024 and was one of only three players in the NFL (T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett) to post 35-plus sacks (37), 85-plus QB hits (88), five-plus forced fumbles (six) and five-plus fumble recoveries (six) from 2020-24. Two members of Green Bay's 2024 draft class, LB Edgerrin Cooper and S Evan Williams, earned PFWA All-Rookie honors, just the fourth time that the Packers had two defensive players earn All-Rookie recognition in the same season (1984, 1993, 2009). Cooper was the only player in the NFL last season to post 75-plus tackles, 13-plus tackles for a loss, three-plus sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and became the first rookie in the NFL to hit those numbers over the past 25 seasons (2000-24).
While the draft remains the most important avenue in building the roster, Gutekunst's free-agent signings and other roster moves have been extremely effective in strengthening the Packers. In three of the last four seasons, Gutekunst signed a veteran free agent who went on to earn first-team AP All-Pro honors in their first season in a Green Bay uniform, the only team in the league to accomplish that feat since 2021. In March 2024, the Packers signed S Xavier McKinney, who ranked No. 2 in the NFL with a career-high eight INTs last season and became the first Green Bay safety to earn first-team All-Pro honors since Darren Sharper in 2000. CB/KR Keisean Nixon, who signed with Green Bay as a free agent in March 2022, earned first-team All-Pro honors at kick returner in 2022 and 2023, the first Packer to earn All-Pro recognition since the position was added in 1976. Nixon posted a league-high 782 yards on kickoff returns in 2023, becoming just the second player in team history to lead the NFL in kickoff return yards in back-to-back seasons (Al Carmichael, 1956-57). In June 2021, Gutekunst added LB De'Vondre Campbell, who went on to earn first-team All-Pro honors in his first season in Green Bay, the first Packers inside LB to earn first-team AP All-Pro recognition since Ray Nitschke in 1966.
Gutekunst has utilized in-season acquisitions to make an impact as well, adding fifth-year CB Rasul Douglas in October 2021 when he signed him off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad. Douglas went on to appear in 12 games with nine starts for the Packers in '21, posting a team-high five INTs and two INT TDs (tied for No. 1 in the NFL) on his way to being named a Pro Bowl alternate. In October 2024, Gutekunst signed veteran K Brandon McManus, who connected on 19 of 20 field goals last season, a 95.0 percentage that ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2024 and set a single-season team record among kickers with 20-plus attempts in a season. In August 2024, Gutekunst acquired QB Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2025. Willis started two contests (Weeks 2-3) in place of an injured Jordan Love and came on in relief of an injured Love in Week 8, helping lead the Packers to wins in all three of those contests as he connected on 40 of 54 passes (74.1 pct.) for 550 yards and three TDs with no INTs for a 124.8 passer rating on the season, the top single-season mark for passer rating in NFL history among QBs with 50-plus attempts.
McKinney earned Pro Bowl recognition in his first season with the Packers in 2024 and was joined in receiving that honor by RB Josh Jacobs, the first time in team history (since 1993) that the Packers acquired two unrestricted free agents in the same offseason who went on to earn Pro Bowl selections in their first season in a Green Bay uniform. Jacobs posted a team-high 1,329 rushing yards and a career-best 15 TDs on 301 carries (4.4 avg.), recording the most rushing yards, rushing TDs and total TDs (16) by a Packer in his first season with the team. Jacobs became just the second player in franchise history to register 1,600-plus scrimmage yards and 15-plus scrimmage TDs in a season (RB Ahman Green, 2003).
In 2024, the Packers made the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons (tied for No. 3 in the NFL over that span) and did so with a roster that featured a weighted age of 25.72, the second-youngest playoff team over the past 45 seasons (1980-2024) behind only the 2023 Packers (25.58). Of the 53 players on the Packers' roster during the 2024 postseason, 52 of them had been acquired under Gutekunst's leadership. In 2023, Green Bay secured a playoff berth for the first time in team history after starting the season with three or fewer wins in its first nine games. With a weighted age of 25.58, the Packers were the youngest NFL team to make the playoffs since the 1974 Buffalo Bills (25.56) and became the youngest NFL team to win a postseason game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger with their 48-32 win at the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC Wild Card contest. Green Bay's rookie class combined to appear in 206 regular-season games in 2023, the most in a season in team history and the most by any NFL team in 2023.
In April 2023, Gutekunst traded QB Aaron Rodgers, a four-time MVP with Green Bay, to the N.Y. Jets along with the Packers' first-round selection (No. 15 overall) and a fifth-round pick (No. 170) in 2023 for the Jets' first-round pick (No. 13), their second-round pick (No. 42) and a sixth-round pick (No. 207) in 2023 and a conditional pick (second-round selection in 2024). With the No. 13 pick, Gutekunst selected DL Lukas Van Ness, who joined LB Clay Matthews as the only Packers since 2000 to post six-plus tackles for a loss in both of their first two NFL seasons. With the No. 42 selection, Gutekunst drafted TE Luke Musgrave, who tied the franchise rookie record for tight ends with 34 catches in 2023 despite missing six games due to injury. After trading back twice in the second round, Gutekunst added WR Jayden Reed with the No. 50 overall pick, who set the single-season team rookie record with 64 catches in 2023 and became the only player in league history to post 750-plus receiving yards, 55-plus receptions, six-plus receiving TDs, 100-plus rushing yards and a rushing TD in each of his first two NFL seasons (2023-24).
Musgrave and Reed were joined in 2023 by WR Dontayvion Wicks (fifth round, No. 159 overall) and TE Tucker Kraft (third round, No. 78 overall) as they became the first rookie foursome in the NFL to each register 30-plus catches in a season since the 1970 merger. In 2023-24, Kraft posted the most receptions (81) and the most receiving yards (1,062) by a Packers tight end in his first two seasons (since 1970). Green Bay's rookie class combined for 191 receptions and 2,250 receiving yards in 2023, the most in both categories by any NFL team's rookie class since the merger. Six members of the Packers' 2023 draft class went on to start four-plus games as rookies, with 10 of the 13 picks appearing in 10-plus contests.
The Rodgers trade marked the second consecutive offseason that Gutekunst traded an All-Pro player, with WR Davante Adams being dealt to the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2023 for their first-round (No. 22 overall) and second-round (No. 53 overall) picks. Gutekunst used the No. 22 pick on LB Quay Walker, who earned All-Rookie honors from the PFWA in 2022 and led the team in tackles each of the last three seasons. Gutekunst packaged two second-round selections (Nos. 53 and 59 overall) in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 34 overall pick, which he used to select WR Christian Watson, who ranks No. 3 in the NFL (min. 75 rec.) since entering the league in 2022 with an average of 16.9 yards per catch. WR Romeo Doubs, who was selected by Green Bay in the fourth round, is one of only three players in team history (James Lofton, Greg Jennings) to register 40-plus catches, 400-plus receiving yards and three-plus receiving TDs in each of his first three seasons, and is tied with Falcons WR Drake London for the most career receiving TDs (15) by a player drafted in 2022.
Green Bay's 2022 draft class also featured three offensive linemen (Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker) who started every game for the Packers in 2024, the first trio of offensive linemen to all be selected in the same class and go on to start every game for that team in a season since Kansas City's draft class of 1974 had three linemen start every game for the Chiefs in 1981. The Packers' 2022 draft class combined for 226 starts from 2022-24, the second most by a class in their first three seasons in the seven-round draft era (since 1994) behind only the 2008 Kansas City Chiefs (227 from 2008-10).
Gutekunst's fourth draft in 2021 saw him select CB Eric Stokes (No. 29 overall) in the first round, who played in 16 games with 14 starts and led the team with 14 passes defensed as a rookie. In the second round, Gutekunst drafted C Josh Myers, who started 50 games over the last three seasons, No. 2 on the team behind only DL Kenny Clark (51). Five members of the Packers' 2021 draft class went on to appear in 45-plus games each in a Green Bay uniform.
For the third straight year, Gutekunst made a first-round trade in 2020, sending the No. 30 pick and a fourth-round choice (No. 136) to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 26 pick, which he used on Love, who in 2023 became just the third QB in NFL history to post 4,000-plus passing yards (4,159) and 32-plus passing TDs (32) in his first season with multiple starts as he joined Kurt Warner (1999) and Patrick Mahomes (2018). Love, who became the first Green Bay QB (since 1950) to help lead the Packers to the postseason in his first year as a starter in 2023, was one of only two QBs in the NFL (Lions QB Jared Goff) to throw 25-plus TD passes and register a passer rating of 95.0-plus in each of the last two seasons (2023-24).
In his second offseason managing the Packers' roster in 2019, Gutekunst secured one of the most successful free-agent classes in team history, signing four marquee players and immediate starters in LBs Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith, S Adrian Amos and G/T Billy Turner. The group proved instrumental in the Packers' run to three consecutive NFC North division titles and back-to-back appearances in the NFC title game following the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Preston Smith, who came to Green Bay after four seasons (2015-18) with Washington, was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019 after ranking No. 8 in the NFL with a career-best 12 sacks and finishing No. 2 on the team with 29 QB hits and 43 QB pressures. He was again named a Pro Bowl alternate following the 2022 season. Za'Darius Smith, who was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, made his first career Pro Bowl in 2019 as an injury replacement and was again named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 while also earning second-team AP All-Pro honors. His 26 sacks from 2019-20 are the most ever by a Packer in his first two seasons with the team. Additionally, the Smiths became the first duo in NFL history to both register 12-plus sacks in their first season as teammates and the first tandem in team history (since 1982) to both register 12-plus sacks in the same season. Amos was the only Packer to start every game from 2019-22 and posted 80-plus tackles in each of those seasons.
Gutekunst entered the 2019 NFL Draft with 10 picks, including two first-round selections, and for the second consecutive draft maneuvered in the first round to get a player he wanted. At No. 12 overall, Gutekunst selected Gary, and then packaged the No. 30 pick with a pair of fourth-round selections in a trade with Seattle for the No. 21 overall pick that he used on S Darnell Savage. Savage started 14 games in 2019 and ranked No. 2 on the team with two INTs on his way to earning PFWA All-Rookie honors. Gutekunst selected Jenkins in the second round, who became only the second Packers guard to be named to the PFWA All-Rookie team (since 1974). Jenkins put together an even more impressive second campaign in 2020 as he started all 16 games, opening 12 at LG, three at C and one at RT en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. He became just the third offensive lineman in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl within his first two seasons in the NFL (Deral Teteak, 1952 as a rookie; Charley Brock, 1940 in his second season). Jenkins saw action at four different spots on the line in 2020 (LT, LG, C, RT) and became the first Green Bay offensive lineman to start games at guard, center and tackle in the same season since the 1970 merger. Returning from a season-ending knee injury in 2021, Jenkins was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2022 season.
Armed with a league-high 12 selections entering the 2018 NFL Draft, Gutekunst traded the Packers' first-round selection (No. 14) to New Orleans for the Saints' first-round pick (No. 27) and a fifth (No. 147) in 2018, and a first in 2019. Moments later, Gutekunst traded the No. 27 pick, a third (No. 76) and a sixth (No. 186) to Seattle for their first (No. 18) and a seventh (No. 248). With the No. 18 choice in the first round, Green Bay selected Alexander out of Louisville. Alexander was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team, becoming just the second Packers CB to be honored since 1974 (Casey Hayward, 2012). A pair of wide receivers, fifth-round pick Marquez Valdes-Scantling (38 receptions, 15.3 avg.) and sixth-rounder Equanimeous St. Brown (21 receptions, 15.6 avg.) became the first rookie duo in team history to each register 20-plus catches with an average of 15-plus yards per reception.
Prior to his promotion, Gutekunst served as Green Bay's director of player personnel (2016-17) and director of college scouting (2012-15) after spending his first 13 seasons with the club as a college scout. He served as an East Coast regional scout for his first two years (1999-2000) before switching to the Southeast region (2001-11).
Possessor of prior professional scouting and college coaching experience upon joining Green Bay on a full-time basis late in 1998, Gutekunst gained his first NFL experience in the summer of 1995 when he assisted the coaching staff of the New Orleans Saints with the offensive line during training camp. Gutekunst's initial exposure to the Packers came in the summer of 1997 when he worked as an intern in the team's scouting department.
His first full-time appointment in professional scouting was in 1998 as a scouting assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs. After one year with the Chiefs, Gutekunst returned to the Packers when he was named a college scout for the East Coast by Wolf on Dec. 30, 1998.
Gutekunst played two years of college football for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and then became an assistant coach for the team during his final two years at the school (1995-96) after a shoulder injury cut short his playing career. Serving as a linebackers coach during the 1995 season, he helped the school win the Division III national title as the Eagles finished with an unblemished record of 14-0. Gutekunst has a degree in sports management.
He and his wife, Jen, reside in Hobart with their daughters, Marley, 20, Joie, 19, and Kacey, 14, and son, Michael, 16.
