Caleb Harris
The New England Patriots have a new coach and a new quarterback for 2024. And soon, they could have a new chief of personnel.
Sources tell CBS Sports that the Patriots are moving forward in the search for their next football executive, a role that would be equivalent to what is typically known in the NFL as general manager. It’s unclear what the title would be, but sources believe the position would surpass all other football positions in the building.
For years, Bill Belichick has not only served as a head coach, but also as what is technically known in the NFL league office as the “chief football executive.” Following his departure in January after 24 years as head coach, the Patriots had a vacant football executive as the title did not transfer to new head coach Jerod Mayo, sources told CBS Sports in February.
Eliot Wolf, the Patriots’ director of scouting, has been in charge of the team’s personnel department since Belichick’s departure. He is considered a candidate for this role and his work over the last four months will be key in his assessment.
But team owner Robert Kraft couldn’t just appoint Wolf as football’s chief executive even if he wanted to. League rules dictated that the team had to go through the process to at least comply with the Rooney Rule, which meant the Patriots had to personally interview at least two outside minority candidates before hiring anyone.
Kraft said in January that he planned to remain with his internal group for now, but never ruled out an eventual search.
“We have a lot of people internally who have had the opportunity to coach and learn from the greatest coach of all time and a man whose football intellect is very special,” Kraft said. “So in the short term, we are looking for collaboration. Our team has a tremendous opportunity to position itself correctly, given our salary cap space, and we have never drafted, in my 30 years of ownership, we have never drafted as [high] while we are working on it.
“So we rely on our internal people, who we are still learning and evaluating. So we will let this evolve and develop and before the major decisions have to be made, we will appoint someone.”
There was a lot of doubt around the league that a search would occur this offseason.
Typically teams make changes at the top of their personnel department late in the season, but it’s not uncommon for teams to wait until after the draft to make the change. In 2017, the Bills signed Brandon Beane following that year’s draft. In July of the same year, the Chiefs parted ways with John Dorsey as their GM, just months after he engineered a trade with the Bills to move up in the first round and select Patrick Mahomes.
But Kraft hasn’t had to conduct a coaching or GM search in a quarter-century. Mayo had a clause in his contract that allowed him to move up to head coach after Belichick’s departure, which happened in January. And although several men helped Belichick with personnel matters, none of them had an official GM title, nor was there ever an official search.
Even the search for a head coach in 2000, which resulted in Belichick landing in New England, was hardly a search, with Kraft identifying Belichick early in the process and eventually negotiating a trade with the Jets for the coach.
Wolf took over and quickly hired Alonzo Highsmith to a senior personnel position. Highsmith and Wolf knew each other from their time in Green Bay, and CBS Sports reported that Highsmith came to help the Patriots transition their player rating system, among other duties.
Wolf also navigated free agency to New England. He signed offensive lineman Mike Onwenu (three years, $57 million), tight end Hunter Henry (three years, $30 million), safety Kyle Dugger (four years, $58 million) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (four years, $92 million) in the largest non-Tom Brady contract in franchise history.
And in April’s draft, Wolf rejected offers from the Giants and Vikings for the third overall pick, and the Patriots used the selection to select future franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
All of these changes will impact the next few years of Patriots football, and now this search could result in someone else at the top.
