With Bill Belichick gone, the Patriots personnel department is headed for a restructure. With Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots mutually parting ways, the team lost more than just its head coach. For the past 24 years and even though he did not hold the official title, Belichick also served as a de facto general manager for the organization. The Patriots are therefore now tasked with finding a new lead executive for the first time in almost a quarter century, and with restructuring their front office around that person. There are several seemingly suitable candidates both internally and externally to pair with new head coach Jerod Mayo, but the process is only just getting started. In order not to get lost among all the news and rumors, we have set up this tracker to keep you informed and up to date. Please make sure to bookmark and regularly revisit. Which executives have the Patriots hired? Eliot Wolf as executive vice president of player personnel: New England did not officially hire a general manager, but they promoted Wolf to an equivalent position. The 42-year-old, who most recently served as director of scouting, will be the highest-ranking executive in the building after essentially serving in that role since Bill Belichick’s departure in January. | News Bobby Brown as TBD: Brown most recently worked as the Texans’ associate director of football administration, but he does have a history with New England: before moving to Houston last year, he spent seven seasons with the Patriots serving most recently as associate director of football administration. His responsibilities back then included managing football operations and coordinating travel logistics. Now, he is back in a yet to be specified executive role. | News Alonzo Highsmith as senior personnel executive: A former NFL player, who spent time in the front offices in both Green Bay and Cleveland, Highsmith is a highly-regarded executive. He most recently served as general manager of football operations at the University of Michigan and will now take his expertise to New England. | News Which executives are the Patriots looking at? Brandon Hunt: Hunt has spent the last two seasons as the Eagles director of scouting after joining the club in the 2022 offseason. Before arriving in Philadelphia, Hunt spent 12 seasons as the pro scouting coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent three years with the Houston Texans from 2007-09. | News Samir Suleiman: An experienced executive Suleiman spent time in Jacksonville, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh before joining the Carolina Panthers as vice president of football administration. He held that position for four years before being let go in January. | News Front office news and rumors tracker The Patriots have found their lead executive, and the move does not come as a surprise: Eliot Wolf was promoted from his position as director of scouting. He is the quasi-GM now. The Patriots will interview veteran executive Samir Suleiman for their head of football operations position. | Report The team’s first interview has been concluded with Philadelphia Eagles’ director of scouting Brandon Hunt. | Report Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray also declined an interview for the Patriots’ open general manager position. | Report Former Arizona Cardinals executive Quentin Harris has declined to interview with the Patriots. | Report Cincinnati Bengals senior executive Trey Brown turned down an opportunity to interview with the Patriots. | Report New England has ramped up its efforts to find a new top-level executive following the NFL Draft. | Report Director of scouting Eliot Wolf will have final say in the Patriots’ draft room. | Report After one season in Houston, former Texans associate director of football administration Bobby Brown is back in New England in a yet-to-be-announced executive role. | Report University of Miami general manager of football operations Alonzo Highsmith will reportedly be joining the Patriots in an executive role. | Report The Patriots are not expected to hire a new general manger, per NBC Sports’ Phil Perry. The belief is that Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf will remain with the team in prominent personnel roles. | Report The Patriots are in no rush to hire a general manager, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In fact, they might wait until after the draft to make a move. | Report Former Patriots scouting assistant Adam Peters, who was seen as a potential candidate to be brought back into the fold following his time as assistant GM in San Francisco, will not join the club. He was hired by the Commanders on Friday. | Report Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2024/1/12/24 ... -belichick
