NFL circles are making it increasingly clear which Packers executive may become general manager next
Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson is a part of the revamped accelerator program during NFL owners meeting in Florida.
The NFL decided to adjust its accelerator program. Instead of up and coming coaches and executives, the league revamped the system to include more notable head coaching and general manager candidates, according to ESPN. And with that, the league revealed who’s the next Green Bay Packers executive that can soon become a general manager.
Packers have an executive as part of the accelerator program
Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson is the chosen one to be a part of the program this year. He’s been working in Green Bay since 2019 after 14 seasons in the Baltimore Ravens’ personnel department.
The program includes exposure to NFL decision-makers during NFL owners meetings in Orlando this week.
Created in 2022 to increase diversity in leadership roles around the NFL, the program now will include non-minority candidates, which is Hendrickson’s case. And because of that, if the executive becomes a GM elsewhere, the Packers would receive no compensation.
Milt Hendrickson has had a close relationship with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst for a long time. When Gutekunst was promoted to GM in 2018, he immediately tried to hire Hendrickson, but the Ravens blocked the move. When his deal in Baltimore expired in 2019, the executive joined Green Bay.
Top executives around the league
The Green Bay Packers have been a school of talent evaluators for decades. In addition to Gutekunst, three top executives around the NFL have worked significant parts of their careers in Green Bay: Seattle Seahawks’ John Schneider, New England Patriots’ Eliot Wolf, and recently-hired Miami Dolphins’ Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Some other recent executives included former Tennessee Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker, former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie, and former Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns GM John Dorsey.
The Packers are potentially looking to promote an executive after losing vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan to the Dolphins.
Milt Hendrickson would naturally be one of the candidates, alongside director of player personnel John Wojciechowski, director of college scouting Matt Malaspina, and director of pro personnel Richmond Williams.