Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports With Bill Belichick not returning in 2024, the Patriots’ personnel department is left without its long-time leader. The New England Patriots wasted no time to fill their head coaching position after mutually parting ways with Bill Belichick. Jerod Mayo was already waiting in the wings, and his promotion was made official less than 24 hours after Belichick’s farewell press conference. When it comes to the other role held by Belichick — he also led the personnel department as a general manager without the title during his stint in New England — the organization is seemingly in no rush to act, however. In fact, it seems that they might not even hire a traditional GM to begin with. Saturday brought various reports about the Patriots’ plans and potential timeline when it comes to addressing the opening created by Belichick’s departure, starting with Adam Schefter saying on ESPN that “they might even wait until after the draft to hire a general manager.” According to a follow-up report by Phil Perry of NBC Sports, the Patriots might not even do a traditional search to replace Belichick the executive. “They are not expected to bring in a new general manager,” Perry wrote on the website formerly known as Twitter. “It’s anticipated by team sources that both Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf will remain with the Patriots and have prominent roles in personnel.” Less than an hour later, Jeff Howe of The Athletic posted that the situation remains “fluid” and that Groh and Wolf will indeed continue running the personnel department for now. The Patriots will likely “interview additional candidates for leadership positions, but there’s no guarantee at the moment anyone will get the GM title.” Belichick sat atop the Patriots’ football operations since his arrival in New England in 2000, overseeing both the coaching staff and the personnel department in this dual role. However, he also relied on his lieutenants such as director of player personnel Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf to keep the operation going smoothly. The initial belief was that Belichick leaving would also bring change to the personnel side of the organization. However, it appears the team is willing to give the structure that was established under Belichick a chance to prove itself. Obviously, though, nothing seems set in stone at this point in time. The aforementioned Jerod Mayo, for example, has reportedly been reaching out to potential candidates as well over the last few days. For the 24 years with Belichick at the helm, the Patriots became famous for doing things their own oftentimes unconventional way. Even with him no longer part of the organization, it appears little has changed about their method of operation. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2024/1/13/24 ... eliot-wolf
