GREEN BAY, Wis. — The success of the Packers and the way in which the team has been built has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the NFL.
On Thursday night, multiple reports surfaced that Green Bay's director of football operations Reggie McKenzie would be hired as the Oakland Raiders' new general manager, and the team confirmed those reports Friday.
McKenzie, 48, has been with the Packers organization since 1994, initially as a pro personnel assistant. He was later promoted to director of pro personnel in 1997 and has been in his current position since 2008.
McKenzie, who played linebacker in the NFL from 1985 to 1992, spent four of those seasons with the Raiders.
McKenzie's responsibilities with the Packers included overseeing the team's scouting efforts of all professional football leagues and assessing Green Bay's current players and evaluating potential free agents. He also worked closely with Packers coach Mike McCarthy in-season to provide advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents.
During his years in Green Bay, he has had the chance to work with former general manager Ron Wolf, who built the Packers' two Super Bowl teams in the 1990s, and current GM Ted Thompson, who constructed the team that is 15-1 and defending a Super Bowl title.
"I would like to thank Reggie McKenzie for all that he has done for the Green Bay Packers over the last 18 years," Thompson said in a statement Friday. "Reggie is a tremendous talent, but more importantly, he is a good friend and a great family man. His contributions to our organization are numerous, and he is ready for the opportunity to be a general manager in the National Football League. It's been a privilege to work with Reggie. He is a good man."
Raiders owner Al Davis had essentially served as the team's general manager until his death in October. Raiders coach Hue Jackson has had the final say on personnel since that time and put together the midseason trade that brought quarterback Carson Palmer to Oakland.
Oakland finished the season 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
