Decades before becoming the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, Mark Murphy made some rather unique NFL history.
As Washington’s starting free safety in Super Bowl XVII, Murphy recorded an interception off of then-Dolphins quarterback David Woodley, the only pass that Woodley “completed” during the second half of Washington’s eventual 27-17 win.
Over 40 years after his first Super Bowl win, Murphy — who turns 70 on July 13 — will step down from his role with Packers on July 25. His 17-plus years on the job has included a Super Bowl victory in 2010, five NFC Championship game appearances, eight NFC North division titles and 13 playoff appearances.
“I hope that I have left the Packers in better shape than when I started,” Murphy wrote on the team’s website.
Murphy (who will be succeeded by longtime team executive Ed Policy) shared two of his biggest regrets during his time with the Packers. One was his late father (who passed away shortly after he became the team’s president and CEO) never attending a game at Lambeau Field. The other was not getting the Packers back to the mountaintop.
“At the end of my tenure, not being able to win a Super Bowl with Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur was a big regret,” he wrote, “especially considering how close we were in a couple of those years.”
Green Bay was certainly close a couple of times, especially in 2020, when the Packers hosted the NFC Championship game. But Green Bay lost that game to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The next year, the Packers were again upset at home by the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Both losses were close, gut wrenching defeats that were made worse considering that Aaron Rodgers was nearing the end of his legendary run as the team’s starting quarterback.
Speaking of Rodgers, Murphy set the Packers up for future success by finding Rodgers’ heir apparent fie years ago in Jordan Love. With Love as their starter, the Packers have made the playoffs each of the past two years. Love in slated to have a big year after injuries hampered him throughout the 2024 season.
While he regrets not winning another title, Murphy clearly takes solace in the fact that he feels that the Packers are in good shape to compete for a title in 2025. While some of the fan base feels that the team should have been more aggressive in free agency, the Packers did make significant roster moves this offseason, especially during the draft, when they acquired multiple playmakers on offense (specifically Matthew Golden, the first wideout the Packers drafted in the first round since 2002) while also adding depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Green Bay’s biggest free agent splashes were the acquisitions of former 49ers guard Aaron Banks and former Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs.
“I am serious about Super Bowl possibilities,” Murphy wrote while responding to a fan’s criticism that he and the front office didn’t do enough this offseason. “We have a young team (two years in a row, the youngest team in the League with two playoff appearances) that is well-coached and should make significant progress this year.”
