Throughout the predraft process, Eliot Wolf walked, talked and acted like the general manager of the New England Patriots. The thing is, however, he didn’t — and still doesn’t — have that title. Wolf’s current job title is director of scouting and he has merely been looked at as the de facto GM throughout the offseason after the team parted ways with Bill Belichick, who held that job on top of his head-coaching duties.
With the draft concluded, CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported this week that the Patriots have begun their search for their top football executive. In fact, the Patriots met with Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt on Tuesday, according to ESPN. Prior to his time with the Eagles, Hunt spent 13 years as the Steelers’ pro scouting coordinator.
It’s unclear if they’ll specifically be called a general manager, per Jones, but the role would outrank all other football positions in the building. New England has already reached out to candidates but has been turned down at the opportunity to interview. Jones also reported on Tuesday that there is no confirmation of an external interview conducted by the team for the role at this point.
The belief surrounding the rejections across the league from prospective candidates is that the job appears to be earmarked for Wolf, who Jones characterized as a “heavy favorite.” If that’s the case, it’d be hard to find a reason why other executives in the NFL would take the time to interview.
If you’re asking why Wolf simply hasn’t been hired in a permanent capacity, Albert Breer of the MMQB reports that New England has yet to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which requires two in-person interviews with external candidates.
The Patriots did allow Wolf to run the football operation in what has arguably been the most critical offseason of Robert Kraft’s ownership. The team had the highest pick in Kraft’s ownership and New England let Wolf make the selection, which ended up being UNC quarterback Drake Maye. If the Patriots were uneasy about Wolf as an executive, it’s hard to imagine they’d let him make those calls, which is probably what the outside candidates have surmised as well.
From how the reports are shaping out, it appears like Wolf will eventually gain the top job in Foxborough once the team jumps over the proper technical hurdles.
