Report: Mike McCarthy Frustrated By Packers' Unwillingness To Add Via Free Agency
(CBS) All is not calm on the Packers' home front despite another trip to the playoffs in the 2015 season.
Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is frustrated by general manager Ted Thompson's unwillingness to bring in help through free agency, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Packers are lauded for their ability to build through the draft, and it's worked wonders in providing stability and continuity, but it appears McCarthy wishes the organization would be more open-minded about adding a difference-maker in the open market when it's needed.
From the Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn:
McCarthy, however, got almost no help from Thompson in 2015 other than the first five selections in the draft. According to several sources, McCarthy is fed up with his boss' unwillingness to take a chance and reinforce the roster with veteran players that might be unknown to the Packers but have the talent to contribute.
By and large, Thompson does put together good rosters. They're the foundation of the Packers' success. All Thompson need do is be a little more open-minded.
When the Packers opened the 2015 season, they didn't have a single player on their 53-man roster who was signed as an unrestricted free agent after their contract expired elsewhere. The overwhelming majority of players were homegrown talent after being drafted by Green Bay. A few had been traded for, and a few others were street free agents -- those signed after being cut by other teams, such as edge rusher Julius Peppers after the Bears let him go in March 2014.
Green Bay has made the playoffs in seven straight years, but it lost in the divisional round this season, one year after it blew a late lead and lost at Seattle in the NFC Championship Game. The Packers went 10-6 in 2015, grabbing a wild-card spot after losing the NFC North by a game to the Vikings (11-5).