Packers CEO Mark Murphy Bids Farewell to Fans

When Tom Sohrweide was turning 70 four years ago, his daughter came up with a plan to have 70 people send him birthday cards to mark the occasion.

She reached out to friends and family. But because her dad was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, she sent an email to the team on a whim to see if they would join the effort.

To Sohrweide’s surprise, he received a personal written postcard from Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy with a Packer pin on it.

Sohrweide, who grew up in eastern Wisconsin and now lives in Minnesota, has that postcard framed and displayed with all of his other Packers memorabilia.

“It’s just something I will never forget,” he said. “That was the best birthday present I’ve ever had, I think. It was something that I’m really proud to have in my possession.”

Sohrweide was in Green Bay on Friday for the Packers’ annual shareholder meeting to help the team and its fans bid farewell to Murphy, who is retiring, and to welcome his successor Ed Policy.

The Packers honored Murphy during the team’s annual shareholder meeting at Lambeau Field.

The Packers are the only NFL team that’s publicly owned, with its nearly 540,000 shareholders receiving no financial benefits from their ownership stake. But they do get an invite to the annual meeting. Thousands of them attend, piling into Lambeau in Packers regalia to listen to presentations from team executives on the business side of their team.

On Friday, they watched as the team played a video tribute to the outgoing executive. Multiple speakers shared praise for Murphy’s achievements as CEO.

“I’m very honored — I cannot express how much this means to me,” Murphy said to the shareholders after the video played. “There’s not another organization in all of professional sports like the Packers, and it’s an honor to work for you.”

Murphy is retiring from the role at the age of 70, per team bylaws, after nearly two decades leading the organization. He was named president and CEO in December 2007. He’s been the top Packers official during two major transitions at quarterback from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, and from Rodgers to Jordan Love.

Murphy also led the organization during the team’s Super Bowl run in the 2010-11 season, as well as during the construction of the Titletown District near Lambeau. And earlier this year, the team hosted the NFL draft in Green Bay after the Packers and local officials spent a decade trying to land the event.

Prior to joining the Packers, Murphy was an NFL player in the 1970s and 80s. He is the only person to ever win a Super Bowl as both a player and executive.

To celebrate the outgoing Packers executive, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich named July 25, 2025 “Mark Murphy Day” in the city of Green Bay.

“Mark has been a truly decent, humble, and thoughtful leader of the Green Bay Packers,” Genrich said in a statement. “He’s guided our beloved franchise throughout his tenure with winning football as his priority and demonstrated care and appreciation for the people who make up the team’s fanbase and the Green Bay community.”

Speaking during the annual meeting, incoming CEO Policy said Murphy had an “incredible impact” on the organization, the wider Green Bay community and “each of us in the stadium here today.”

“On behalf of all of us who have had the privilege of working for you over the past 17 years, we want to thank you for your vision, your direction and guidance, your mentorship, your steady hand,” Policy said. “You always gave us all the tools we needed and you let us do our job, so thank you.”

Policy is entering his 13th year with the Packers organization. He’s previously directed the team’s legal affairs and represented the franchise at the NFL level. Policy also led the effort to develop the Titletown District, and helped spearhead a venture capital partnership with Microsoft, the team said.

Policy has said his primary objectives as the organization’s new top official are keeping the franchise in Green Bay, continuing the Packers’ winning tradition and being a strong community partner.

Murphy told fans he believed the Packers were in good hands going forward under Policy’s leadership. He said they both worked together over the last year to ensure a smooth transition.

“(I’m) really excited about the future under Ed’s leadership,” Murphy said. “He’s very smart. He’s got great experience, and he will do everything possible to make sure that the Packers remain very successful.”

After the shareholder meeting, Murphy and Policy both headed to the sideline and spent time greeting Packer fans and signing autographs.

Packers in strong financial position

Policy is taking the reins on the heels of the team posting an $83.7 million operating profit in its last fiscal year, which ended in March, according to the Packers’ annual financial report.

That’s an increase of $23.6 million from the prior fiscal year. The Packers said profits were bolstered by an extra home game at Lambeau in the 2024 season.

Normally the team hosts eight games, but it hosted nine in 2024 as part of the NFL’s 17-game format. It’s unclear when the team will get an extra home game again.

The franchise’s corporate reserve fund is also up to $579 million from $536 million the previous year, the Packers say. The team’s charitable donations also increased from $11 million to $13 million in the most recent fiscal year.

After the shareholders meeting, Murphy said he hopes he will be remembered for leaving the organization in a better place than he found it in. He said the Packers were in a good position when he took over for Bob Harlan, who helped oversee the organization’s return to relevance in the 1990s and the 2003 stadium renovation.

Murphy said his advice to Policy on taking the reins has been: Be yourself and don’t be afraid to change things.

“He’s got really good business instincts. And hopefully we put him in a position where he can have success, not only in the short-term, but long-term with the organization,” he said.

Fans wish Murphy well, have high hopes for Policy’s tenure

Ahead of the shareholder meeting, fans spoke highly of Murphy’s tenure as president and CEO. One of those fans was shareholder Liam Vanderwerf of Lake Geneva.

“The fan base really feels like a family,” Vanderwerf said. “The players feel like they’re connected to the fans. I feel like that culture just comes from the top down. I feel like that’s something that Mark (Murphy) has really carried on from Harlan back in the day.”

Shareholder Bill Beck, who lives in Alabama, said he believes Murphy “exemplifies the type of person the Green Bay Packers organization should have in its leadership.”

“I think Mark’s just taken it to another level,” Beck said. “(I) would like to have had another Super Bowl or two, but he’s just been a great asset for the organization.”

Sheboygan resident Michael Walker, who has been a shareholder since 1997, said he thinks Murphy’s done a good job, especially in bringing the NFL draft to Green Bay.

“The draft was really impressive, how they handled that,” he said. “All the facilities around the stadium are really top notch.”

Looking ahead, all three said they hoped that Policy would follow in Murphy’s footsteps and continue leading the organization to success.

“I’m very, very hopeful that he’s going to pick up where Mark left off,” said Vanderwerf. “It’s big shoes to fill, but we have a lot of hope in him.”

Listen to the WPR report

‘It’s an honor to work for you’: Packers CEO Mark Murphy bids farewell to the fans was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.