Entering his 21st season overall with the Packers and second as the team's general manager, Brian Gutekunst was named to his position on Jan. 8, 2018.

Entering his 21st season overall with the Packers and second as the team's general manager, Brian Gutekunst was named to his position on Jan. 8, 2018.

"We could not be more excited to elevate Brian to the position of general manager," said team President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy. "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." 

In his second offseason managing the Packers' roster, Gutekunst (GOO-tuh-kunst) remained aggressive in his approach. He was again active in free agency, signing four marquee players and expected starters in S Adrian Amos, LB Preston Smith, LB Za'Darius Smith and T/G Billy Turner. Amos joined the Packers after appearing in 60 games with 54 starts for the Chicago Bears in his first four seasons in the league. Preston Smith, originally a second-round pick of the Redskins, came to Green Bay after four seasons with Washington. According to Sportradar, he ranked No. 5 among NFL linebackers with 59 QB hits from 2015-18. Za'Darius Smith was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. According to Sportradar, he ranked No. 2 among NFL linebackers in 2018 in QB hits (25) and tied for No. 6 in total pressures (sacks + hurries + knockdowns) with 35. Turner spent time with the Miami Dolphins (2014-16), Baltimore Ravens (2016) and Denver Broncos (2016-18) over five seasons. Originally selected by the Dolphins in the third round (No. 67 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, Turner has started games at right guard (19), right tackle (four), left tackle (one) and left guard (one).

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 LB Rashan Gary out of the University of Michigan, who twice was honored as an All-Big Ten first-team selection (2017-18). Gutekunst 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 University of Maryland S Darnell Savage. Savage earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2018 and ranked second in the conference with four interceptions.

In the first few months of his tenure in 2018, Gutekunst wasted no time using every avenue to reshape and strengthen Green Bay's roster. First, he added three Pro Bowl free agents to the team: TE Jimmy Graham, DL Muhammad Wilkerson and CB Tramon Williams. He also tapped into the trade market, moving CB Damarious Randall to the Cleveland Browns for QB Deshone Kizer and a swap of selections in the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2018 draft. 

Armed with a league-high 12 selections entering the 2018 NFL Draft, Gutekunst was active. The first round saw him trade the Packers' selection (No. 14) to New Orleans for the Saints' first-round pick (No. 27), a fifth (No. 147) 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 18th selection in the first round, Green Bay selected Louisville CB Jaire Alexander. In a matter of minutes, Gutekunst added one of the top cover corners to bolster the Packers' defense, while also keeping an eye on the future with the acquisition of an additional first-round pick.

In the second round, Gutekunst again fortified the secondary with his selection of Iowa CB Josh Jackson, who earned consensus first-team All-America honors in 2017 after leading the nation with eight interceptions. When the draft concluded, Gutekunst had added 11 players to the Packers' roster in his inaugural draft class.

His initial draft class provided the team with immediate returns as it accounted for 50 starts in 2018, the most by the Packers since 2006 (66 starts). Green Bay was one of only five teams in the league to have three rookies start 10-plus games (Alexander with 11; Jackson and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling with 10) in 2018 (Oakland had four, Cleveland, Indianapolis and the N.Y. Giants had three). Additionally, Alexander was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team, becoming just the second Packers CB to be honored since 1974 (Casey Hayward, 2012).

Prior to his promotion, Gutekunst served as director of player personnel (2016-17) 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) and then as director of college scouting (2012-15).

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 on Dec. 30, 1998, for the East Coast by Wolf. 

Gutekunst earlier had played two years of college football for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He 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 to the Division III national championship 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 Green Bay with their daughters, Marley, 14, Joie, 13, and Kacey, 8, and son, Michael, 10.