It’s official. And that won’t surprise anyone.
The Patriots have named Elliott Wolf their new vice president of player personnel. Regardless of the title, he is currently the top non-ownership figure in football.
According to the announcement, “Wolf’s responsibilities include: Overall direction of the Human Resources department, management of the salary cap, and management of the 53-person roster. ”
“I started a lot during the offseason, so the plan was to look at Elliott and Elliott’s collaboration and involvement. [coach] Jerod [Mayo] Look at how they managed our offseason personnel decisions,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. “We will then formally begin the process of establishing a permanent structure for the Human Resources function in accordance with the draft plan. I am thrilled that I have agreed to take the position.”
This strategy created some awkwardness post-draft and post-draft. If the Patriots had not followed the Rooney Rule, Wolf would not have had final say over the roster or the draft. Therefore, from the moment Mayo was hired to this day, ownership necessarily held and exercised those powers. And once the search began, multiple minority candidates declined interviews because everyone knew Mr. Wolf was getting the job.
At the very least, the Patriots created a blueprint for the team to fire the head coach who was in charge of the roster. They basically let someone who stayed in the front office run the show from January through April, giving him an extended on-site audition without having to follow the Rooney Rule first. After the draft, check the box to make the hiring decision.
