Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the Patriots are in no rush to hire a general manager this year.
According to Jones, the Patriots haven’t requested any interviews with external candidates to fill their vacant “primary football executive position” after the team made the decision to move on from HC Bill Belichick.
Jones says New England may operate with the same personnel group that they currently have with Eliot Wolf being the top voice in the room.
Jones explains that NFL rules would allow the Patriots to do this without needing to run a search for a GM.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft recently indicated as much.
“We have a lot of people internally who have had a chance to train and learn under the greatest coach of all time and a man whose football intellect is very special,” Kraft said last month. “So, in the short-term, we’re looking for collaboration. Our team has a tremendous opportunity to position itself right, given our salary cap space, and we’ve never drafted, in my 30 years of ownership, we’ve never been drafting as [high] as we’re drafting.
“So we’re counting on our internal people, whom we’re still learning and evaluating. So we’re going to let that evolve and develop, and before the key decisions have to be made, we will appoint someone.”
According to Jones, Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh was considered the No. 2 football decision-maker in New England last year with Belichick, but the “secondary football executive” position is now vacant.
Wolf is reportedly running the personnel department in New England.
The Patriots have since hired several coaches and executives with ties to Wolf from his time in Green Bay including executive Alonzo Highsmith.
While there has been some talk about New England possibly conducting a GM search after the draft, Jones’ sources consider that unlikely.
Wolf, 41, is the son of former Packers GM Ron Wolf. He started off as a pro personnel assistant for the Packers in 2004 and worked his way up to director of football operations in 2016.
After the Packers hired Brian Gutekunst as their GM, Wolf departed for the assistant GM job under John Dorsey in Cleveland. He then worked for the Seahawks before joining the Patriots as a consultant.
Wolf was promoted to director of scouting in 2021.
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