But he admits that he expects some other team will snap Hinkley up before that happens.
"He came from the country, he loves the country, and he's now back at Geelong," Thompson told afl.com.au exclusively.
"If he's not Geelong's next coach, and he happens to get a job somewhere else, well, I think he's more than ready.
"I certainly don't want to lose him, but I understand that he deserves to be a senior coach."
It's a constant dilemma for AFL clubs – getting and developing the best assistants mean they're the most likely to be poached by other clubs.
Seven head coaches are out of contract at the end of this season, and while all seven are unlikely to move on – or be moved on – there will be enough movement to give the coaching ranks their biggest shake-up in years.
As ever, speculation swirls about who is likely to be one of the few to take the step up to one of just 16 jobs at the top level – former star players often get pumped up, especially if they've got a few years under the belt as an assistant.
Thus, Hinkley is an obvious candidate. After failing to find his feet as a forward in 11 games over two years at Fitzroy, he went to Geelong and into defence.
There, he racked up 121 games between 1989 and 1996, won the club's 1992 best and fairest, was All-Australian twice, was co-captain in 1995, and played in three losing grand finals.
Since then, the 42-year-old has taken teams in the Hampden and Geelong leagues to flags and been an assistant at St Kilda before lobbing back at the Cats in 2005.
Hinkley isn't talking to the media, saying he's content with where he is, but Thompson was more than happy to sing his praises.
"Experience and talent," is Thompson's response when asked what a team would get if they took Hinkley into the top football job.
"Tactically he's very good – he's brilliant in the box on match days, and he's a very positive coach.
"He's been at St Kilda, he's coached his own teams and won premierships, and then he's been here for four or five years and he's really been a big part of this program and getting the place to where it is."
Thompson said Hinkley had the required attributes to thrive in the top job, and is more than happy to say so publicly, despite the potential loss of a significant team member and mate.
"He's very personable, he's got a great personality, he's a bit of a prankster with a great sense of humour.
"But at the same time, he can be really strong and have the hard conversations, but do it in a way that's not offensive.
"We love working together, and we're good friends, and you should look after your friends."
