Another candidate has apparently emerged in the the Buffalo Bills search to find a new team general manager. The Bills will reportedly interview Brian Gutekunst, the director of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers, for their vacant general manager position on Monday.
Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne first hinted that the Bills might have interested in Gutekunst, suggesting that in his opinion, the Packers executive should be the team’s top choice to fill the job.
So Brandon Beane is interviewing again for the #Bills GM job a 2nd time but will still say Brian Gutekunst would be the team's best hire.
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 8, 2017
And NFL Network’s Ian Rapport reports that the Bills do in fact plan to meet with Gutekunst.
#Bills are interviewing #Packers Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst today for the vacant GM job, sources say. He’s highly regarded
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 8, 2017
Gutekunst began working for the Packers in 1998, and he’s also spent time that year working as a scouting assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs. In all, he has nearly two decades of NFL personnel experience. He spent his first 13 seasons with Green Bay as its college scout, before then serving as the team’s director of college scouting (2012-2015), and then being promoted to his current job as director of player personnel.
Both Dunne and Rapport mention that Gutekunst is highly regarded around the league. According to Rapport, the current Packers executive was the favorite candidate for the recently-vacant San Francisco 49ers general manager job before it was awarded to John Lynch.
Brian Gutekunst was considered a favorite for #49ers GM job before he signed a new deal in GB. #Bills looking at a successful scouting tree.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 8, 2017
Adding to Gutekunst’s appeal as a prospective GM is the great respect that teams have for his current employer. The Packers have failed to make the playoffs just five times since 1998, and there’s been been a plethora of former team executives who have gone on to find success after leaving to pursue other opportunities with other franchises.
Packers pipeline: TT (8 straight playoffs, SB), Schneider (2 SB), McKenzie (found QB), Dorsey (43-21 in KC), McCloughan part of 5 SB teams.
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) May 8, 2017
While it does sound like Gutekunst stands a pretty good chance as being named the new general manager of the Bills, he’ll have to make up ground fast as the team is reportedly bringing in Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Brandon Beane for a second interview. With both Gutekunst and Beane both making news on Monday, it sounds that the Bills vacant GM job will not be open for much longer.