Ted Thompson was thinking about stepping down and taking a scouting position with the Green Bay Packers next year. However, when head coach Mike McCarthy spoke to the media on Thursday, he said Thompson will likely return as general manger for the 2017 season.

“Ted is back!” McCarthy said during his annual season-ending press conference. “I mean, I don’t know where the heck some of the articles come from. I don’t see any change in him, as far as his vision. I know when we have business conversations — which we haven’t had in quite some time — there’s a commitment to the contract that the organization has given us.”

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Thompson is believed to be under contract through the 2019 NFL Draft. There has not been an official word from Thompson on the issue as he's in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl. If for some reason Thompson decides to step down, the Packers do have a plan in place in terms of hiring the next general manager.

“I get the career advancement (issue). We’ve got a lot of talented people in our organization, and that’s a credit to everybody involved in football operations,” McCarthy said, adding that he’s “dealing with” outside interest in his assistant coaches this week as well. “The questions (about Thompson’s future) are fair. I mean, he’s not the youngest cat anymore. But, he’s working. I don’t see any change in him.”

The likely leading candidates for the next Packers GM are top officials Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst. Both drew interest from other teams, and Wolf is scheduled to interview with the Indianapolis Colts for their open GM position this week.

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