The NFLPA is now searching for a new executive director to replace Lloyd Howell, who unceremoniously resigned last week after numerous scandals surfaced regarding his tenure leading the union.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was at the forefront of that reporting. The veteran NFL writer and former attorney has long been an advocate for the players. And now, Florio has revealed his preferred candidate for the vacant executive director position.

In a post published on his website Wednesday evening, Florio officially endorsed Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy to lead the NFLPA. Murphy is set to exit his role with the Packers on Friday on account of the team’s bylaws that require its executive to resign after turning 70 years old.

“The union absolutely should want him,” Florio writes. “If players became enamored with the notion that Howell knew labor relations from this management side, Murphy knows this specific labor relationship from the inside of the management side.

“He’s been in the room when the collusion, attempted or otherwise, happened. He knows how the sausage is made. He has helped make it.

“All it takes is one member of the executive committee to realize the benefit of hiring Murphy, and the idea can spread,” Florio continued. “It’s the best idea they’ll have. And Murphy is the perfect person to prompt the NFL’s power structure to poop their pants a little.”

No doubt, given the high-profile nature of Howell’s departure, and the fact that his initial hiring was conducted in the shadows, the search for a new NFLPA executive director will be covered extensively.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the league and union expires in 2031, but there will certainly be a lot on the new executive director’s plate right from the get-go. The NFL has been very public with its desire to expand to an 18-game season prior to 2031, and that will need approval from the union. There’s also a high likelihood that the NFL will renegotiate its media rights deal before 2031, either when the league exercises its opt-out in 2029, or even beforehand in some scenarios.

The NFLPA could certainly do worse than hiring Murphy, who knows the ins and outs of the labor-management dynamic better than most.