Finding Bill Belichick’s replacement as head coach didn’t take the New England Patriots long. Just over 24 hours after it was announced Belichick and the team he spent 24 years running would be parting ways, Jerod Mayo was named his successor.
As for replacing Belichick as the team’s de facto general manager? That process sounds like it could be a bit more complicated.
READ MORE:
—What’s next for Bill Belichick?
—Next steps for Jerod Mayo
—What we learned from Robert Kraft’s Thursday press conference
Shortly after Mayo’s hiring on Friday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Patriots were beginning the process of hiring a GM “to work with Jerod Mayo.” That report was followed by a list of external potential candidates.
Within 24 hours though, the tone of things have changed. Saturday morning, multiple reports indicated the Patriots may be mostly trending towards a more in-house, status quo approach in the front office, at least for now.
Those reports started trickling out Saturday morning. It started with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported “[The Patriots are] in no rush to hire a general manager. They might even wait until after the draft to hire a general manager.”
Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston later added that a Patriots GM hire may not even happen at all. “[The Patriots] are not expected to bring in a new general manager,” he said, relaying information from a source. “It’s anticipated by team sources that both [director of player personnel] Matt Groh and [director of scouting] Eliot Wolf will remain with the Patriots and have prominent roles in personnel.”
Player personnel director Matt Groh addresses media at Gillette Stadium ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. (Photo by Bob Socci)
There was also this report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic. “Fluid situation with the Patriots front office: Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf will continue to run the operation for now,” he posted. “The Patriots will likely interview additional candidates for leadership positions, but there’s no guarantee at the moment anyone will get the GM title.”
Finally, a collective report from MassLive added two potentially important pieces of information. “A source theorized that Mayo could have some real input when it comes to the team’s personnel department,” a piece from Karen Guregian, Chris Mason, and Mark Daniels reads. “Although the new coach won’t have as much power as Belichick, it appears he’ll have a significant say on how his team is built through the draft, free agency and trades.”
That piece also added that “Mayo has spoken to external general manager candidates in opposing front offices, so it hasn’t been entirely in-house up to this point.”
There’s certainly a lot to pick apart there. What did we learn about the Patriots GM search on Saturday? What new questions were raised? A few thoughts…
Waiting to hire a GM
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 11: Owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots speaks to the media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 11, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
There’s some ambiguity in that report from Adam Schefter, but it’s still a little weird. While the process to hire a general manager was never going to be immediate and could take a week or two, waiting until after the draft is another story.
The general manager is generally the one who guides the team through player personnel decisions, and there’s no two bigger player personnel periods on the NFL calendar than free agency and the NFL Draft. Not having a defined general manager during those windows would be a very unorthodox approach.
Now that’s not to say there can’t be somebody handling all the responsibilities of a general manager during those periods, just without the title. Maybe the Patriots want to wait until after the offseason to officially give the title to that person.
That all being said, that approach – if it is indeed their approach – both could and should mean the GM is an in-house hire. Having Groh, Wolf, and the rest of the remaining front office build the roster in a crucial year, only to then hand that roster to another GM who played no role in building it, could certainly set up issues down the road.
Familiar names in line for bigger roles
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
If the team isn’t going to hire an external GM, or even promote one from within, then who is in charge? It sounds like the two leaders for that role are Groh and Wolf, who are the two highest-ranking player personnel staffers left in the Patriots’ organization following Belichick’s departure. Director of college scouting Camren Williams has also been rumored as somebody who could be in line for an expanded role, even if it’s not ultimately the lead personnel role for now.
Given the roster moves the team has made in recent years, that speculation may make some Patriots fans uneasy – and understandably so. But if this does end up being the case, it will really give us an idea of how much control Belichick had over Patriots’ personnel decisions in recent years, and how much the issues were on those working for him.
For what it’s worth, while Groh didn’t speak to the media much the last few years, some of his quotes from the last draft season to seem to suggest he may not have been entirely behind the team’s offensive personnel philosophies – especially at wide receiver.
In an interview with Evan Lazar of Patriots.com last winter at the NFL Combine, Groh stressed a philosophy of being aggressive when it comes to adding game-changing playmakers (read: wide receivers) to a roster.
“With any of these positions, certainly at a playmaker position, there’s a price you have to pay for these guys,” he said. “So whether that’s allocating cap space or allocating a high draft pick, to be aggressive, if you want to have those dynamic playmakers, you have to pay the price for them.” Groh also spoke at length about wide receivers during training camp last year.
Appearing on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Saturday evening, Lazar also shared Groh talked to him about capitalizing on the flexibility afforded by having a quarterback on a rookie contract (can be heard just before the 40:00 mark of the below). Obviously, the team eventually came up short in that regard.
Would a Groh-led personnel department do more to add the high-level receiver the Patriots have been missing in recent years? That’s what this quote suggests, the question is will he follow through?
Will a new position be created?
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 24: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans looks on during the first half in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Despite the multiple reports of the Patriots not hiring a GM, Howe talks about the Patriots still interviewing candidates for “leadership positions” while MassLive has Mayo continuing to talk to front office members on other teams. If there’s no real GM opening, why would they be doing that?
It’s possible the Patriots could look to create a new position within their organization for some sort of overseer of the football operations. Some other franchises in the NFL have that role, like the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. It exists in other sports as well – Cam Neely’s job with the Bruins would loosely fit this description.
Basically, this person would serve as both a guide and resource for a first-time coach in Mayo and a first-time personnel head in whoever ends up getting the de facto GM job. While those two focus on the day-to-day decisions that come with running a football team, this person would help make sure the overall, bigger picture direction of the organization remains consistent within those decisions.
As for who could fill such a role? The best candidates would be those with prior experience as a GM, head coach, or some other high-ranking job with a football background, while also being familiar with the inner workings of the Patriots’ operations specifically. Scott Pioli, Jon Robinson, Dave Ziegler, and Mike Vrabel would all be fits, to varying degrees. One other candidate that’s a bit more outside of the box could be Tedy Bruschi, who currently works with the Arizona football program, holding the title of ‘senior advisor to the head coach’ at his alma mater.
Who will have final say?
Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits idle before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
This is the big question, and one that wasn’t answered by any of the reporting on Saturday. If anything, everything we learned on Saturday only clouded the ultimate answer to this question.
In what ended up being his final Patriots press conference, Belichick stressed the importance of somebody having the ‘final say’ in all personnel decisions. While roster building is a collaborative effort at its core, somebody needs to be at the top of the food chain as the deciding, perhaps tie-breaking voice. It’s crucial it be clear to everybody involved in the process who that is?
If the Patriots were to hire a GM, it’s almost certain that role would go to that person. If they don’t? It’s harder to say.
Groh is certainly an option, as the highest-ranking member of the team’s personnel department remaining. Some have also suggested Wolf, but that could create a tricky dynamic if Groh remains with the organization. Groh’s role is higher up the chain of command than Wolf’s, which means for Wolf to be the ultimate decision-maker he’d essentially be promoted over Groh/Groh would be demoted (the team could also part ways with Groh to clear the way for Wolf).
Final say could also go to a non-GM position, like the one we theorized above. For that to work though, that person would have to be involved on a more day-to-day basis.
Then, there’s the chance it goes to Mayo himself, mirroring the old setup with Belichick. Mass Live noted that Mayo “could have some real input when it comes to the team’s personnel department.” That may not be ultimate final say, but could certainly make him a factor.
