L-R: San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, New England Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh (USA Today)
On Thursday the New England Patriots announced their parting of ways with Bill Belichick. Not only was Belichick the head coach for this 24 years in New England, but for most of the time was the de facto general manager of the organization, running the player personnel side of things on top of his coaching duties.
In that sense the Patriots have not one task in replacing Belichick, but two. It was reported Friday morning that Jerod Mayo will take over as head coach, but Mayo doesn’t have any player personnel experience under his belt. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will look to hire a new general manager to work with Mayo.
READ MORE:
—What’s next for Bill Belichick?
—It was ‘Bill the GM’ and ‘Bill the coach,’ down to the end
—What we learned from Robert Kraft’s Thursday press conference
It’s been a while since the Patriots had a true GM. For the last 30-plus years, the job has either been handled by the head coach in a de facto role, or by somebody else with a different title like director of personnel or vice president of player operations. The Patriots person to hold the Patriots GM title was Patrick Sullivan – son of team founder and original owner Billy Sullivan. The younger Sullivan had that job from 1983 until his dad sold the team in 1990.
34 years later, is it time for the Patriots to name a general manager once again? If not, to at least once again separate the role and responsibilities from the head coach position, even if it’s under a different title?
The general manager search isn’t as clear as the head coach search. Fewer candidates have been linked to the Patriots publicly, and fewer of the top candidates around the league have past ties to the organization. On top of that, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the Patriots are expected to hire their head coach first, then find a GM.
Keeping that in mind let’s take a look at some names to know for the position, starting with the most logical internal candidates…
Matt Groh
Jul 26, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh speaks at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
While Groh has seen a significant amount of criticism of the team’s recent personnel issues directed at him, in terms of resume he’s among the more qualified among the Patriots’ internal candidates. As the director of player personnel – making him the No. 2 to Belichick on personnel matters – he’s handled some of the responsibilities of a general manager already. Prior to assuming his current role with the Patriots in 2022, he came up in the Patriots’ college scouting department from 2011-2021.
Dave Ziegler
Aug 26, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler reacts during the game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ziegler held the Patriots’ director of player personnel role before Groh, taking it over from Nick Caserio (who made it very clear he won’t be returning to New England) in 2021. Prior to that he was Caserio’s assistant, and his roles in the Patriots’ pro personnel department in New England date back to 2013. In 2022 he was hired away by the Raiders along with Josh McDaniels, where the two served as general manager and head coach, until both were fired earlier this year.
Ziegler is one of the only people on our list with actual head general manager experience. Could he come back and assume the role in New England?
Jon Robinson
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 14: General manager Jon Robinson of the the Tennessee Titans looks on before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
Our second former general manager is Robinson. Like many of these other candidates, he got his start in New England beginning as an area scout in 2002 through his role as the director of college scouting from 2009-2013. After that he was hired away as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ director of player personnel. Three years later the Tennessee Titans hired him as GM, a role that he held from 2016 until being fired during the 2022 season.
In Tennessee Robinson helped build the Titans into a team that made the playoffs three years in a row including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. However he was also seen as the driver behind trading away wide receiver A.J. Brown, a move that
More from NFL NOW on today’s surprising news: Jon Robinson is out as the first-place #Titans’ GM. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/3WYUvxkLHZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1600191746972975118%7Ctwgr%5Ed5546b460fd32f6d4dc246f3f6e6b16a64b9618b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftitanswire.usatoday.com%2F2022%2F12%2F07%2Fjon-robinson-downfall-titans-patience-aj-brown%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly played a role in his firing in 2022.Adam Peters
August 19, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch (left) and vice president of player personnel Adam Peters (right) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium. The Broncos defeated the 49ers 33-14. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Now we’re getting into the less connected candidates. Peters has New England ties but they’re not nearly as recent – he spent six years in the Patriots’ scouting department early in his career from 2003 to 2008. He then moved on to the Denver Broncos, where he rose up their organization for eight years.
In 2017 Peters joined the San Francisco 49ers, where he’s currently employed as the assistant general manager. He’s held that job for the last three years, helping John Lynch build up one of the most impressive rosters in the NFL.
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Peters has been hired by the Washington Commanders.
Ray Agnew
Detroit Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew after the joint practice with New York Giants at Detroit Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. (Junfu Han/USA Today Network)
Angew’s Patriots ties pre-date the Robert Kraft era and his time working in a front office. He was a first-round pick by the Patriots back in 1990, and played five of his 11 total NFL seasons in New England.
As an executive, Agnew rose to prominence as the director of pro personnel for the Los Angeles Rams from 2017-2020. In 2021 he was hired by the Detroit Lions as their assistant general manager, and in his three years in that job has helped build Detroit’s current division-winning roster under GM Brad Holmes.
