Brian Gutekunst is hardly a household name. But in his capacity as a scout and executive with the Green Bay Packers for 18 seasons, he’s certainly connected to some of the biggest names in the NFL.
And that long track record with a Packers franchise that has been stable and successful apparently has him as the leading candidate to become the next general manager of the 49ers.
Michael Silver of the NFL Network tweeted this week that Gutekunst is the “frontrunner” for the job, with Terry McDonough of the Cardinals and George Paton of the Vikings also still in the running.
If the 49ers go with Gutekunst it will be in large part because of his record as a talent evaluator, an area in which the recently fired Trent Baalke can be criticized. Though Baalke routinely stockpiled draft choices, recent draft classes have been devoid of high-impact talent, especially among offensive skill players. The 49ers are lacking at quarterback and wide receiver in particular.
Gutekunst was a college scout with the Packers for his first 13 years, then in 2012 was promoted to director of college scouting. Last March he became Green Bay’s director of player personnel. During his tenure, the Packers have drafted such high-impact talent as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Jordy Nelson and outside linebacker Clay Matthews.
According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 49ers CEO Jed York was impressed in his first interview with Gutekunst, and compared him favorably to former 49ers GM Scot McGloughan as an elite talent evaluator.
“It’s been Gutekunst for two weeks,” one scource told McGinn, of the 49ers’ interest.
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McGinn reported Gutekunst could be hired by the 49ers as soon as next week, even if Green Bay defeats the Falcons this Sunday and moves on to the Super Bowl, with the Packers allowing him to leave early.
