Former Patriots executive headed to Nebraska as new general manager
After joining the New England Patriots in 2023 following his time with the Carolina Panthers, pro personnel director Pat Stewart is moving on. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Stewart has accepted a job with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as their football general manager.
Stewart is moving to the college game after 17 years filling various roles at the NFL level. He will be reunited with Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. The two worked closely together in the Panthers organization from 2020-2022, until Rhule left for Nebraska ahead of the 2023 season.
The departure of Stewart is yet another Patriots front office and coaching personnel member to leave the team since the introduction of head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff.
Since the introduction of new transfer rules (i.e. the transfer portal) and name image and likeness funding (NIL) the business side of college sports has completely shifted. Jobs such as general manager were not roles in college sports until recently. So, Stewart’s move could be the start of a larger trend of professional executives leaving their leagues for similar roles at the college level.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05. Read all his articles here.
