The Green Bay Packers will be losing one key man from their front office as Reggie McKenzie has been hired away by the Oakland Raiders to serve as their general manager.

McKenzie returns to the Raiders, who he played linebacker for from 1985 to 1988, and becomes the second GM in franchise history following the passing of owner/GM Al Davis. The hire was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.

McKenzie inherits a situation where the Raiders are without their next two first-round draft picks as a result of the Carson Palmer trade. Former Raiders front office man Ron Wolf, who hired McKenzie in Green Bay, recommended him for the position.

“Reggie’s a tremendous evaluator,” Wolf told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He can tell you who can play and who can’t play. That's what it’s all about. Some can write reports but can’t tell you who can play.
“Whatever that is, he has that. He has a feel.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune